Miracles Don't Happen Here
by zombified419
Summary: Tony finds himself in a new bar that he normally wouldn't ever frequent. After being rescued by Captain America, he finds himself drawn back to the location that witnessed one of his lowest points - and a cunning new bartender. [FrostIron]
1. Your Love Just Disappeared

"My, aren't you a handsome thing? You look like I should know you, too!"

Tony Stark looked up from his scotch, not nearly as surprised as he should have been by being spoken to so abruptly. The woman who had garnered the lackadaisical response from the self-made genius felt her smile falter. She cleared her throat and shifted her weight from one foot to another. Tony simply took another sip.

"Usually when someone speaks to you, you answer," she supplied. He turned his face towards her, sunglasses gleaming, but still no response. Was this guy being serious? "I mean, unless -"

"Usually when someone ignores you, you walk away," he said, glass rim to his lips again. She gaped at him. "I mean, unless you can't take a damn hint."

"What the hell is wrong with you!? I'm -"

"Unimportant." She simply couldn't believe this guy's gall. To deny her? She's quite the catch!

"Why, I've never been so appalled!"

"For a two-bit whore with daddy issues you sure act high and mighty," Tony murmured. "Go on now, find another warm body for the night." She coughed, clearly shaken. He made a 'shooing' motion with his unoccupied hand. Who the hell was this guy?! She opened her mouth to speak again when another gentleman came up.

"Tony! Good thing I finally found you; usually you go to Queens or something. Oh, hello, ma'am!" She looked at the newcomer; he had on a loose t-shirt that hugged his waist beautifully, tucked into his tight jeans. Even in the dark, she could make out his clear blue eyes adorned with a sheepish grin. This one she could work with.

Her lips curled into a smile before falling short when Tony started again. "Oh this one is no good, Boy Scout. She's already tried to get into my pants more than once. She's also one of those 'flappers' you'll remember."

'Boy Scout' turned his eyes down quickly and started blushing, stammering to himself. He immediately started rubbing his neck, looking anywhere but the scantily clad bodice (how on Earth had he not noticed her lack of garments?!) before them. His blushing and obvious discomfort made her feel suddenly very naked and very ashamed. She blew out a frustrated sigh from between her perfectly bright pink lips and folded her arms over her chest.

"I can take a hint, that's for sure! You losers have a lovely night together," she hissed and sauntered away. Tony barely paid any attention to her retreating form; he figured she didn't recognize him in the poor lighting, but how had she not noticed Captain America's trademark smile?

"Women," he muttered. The comment pulled Steve's attention back to him.

"Did she really...solicit you?" Ever so eloquent.

"Of course, Captain. That's what strippers do." Usually Tony had a lot of patience with Steve's lack of twenty-first century knowledge, but in light of current arrangements, the scotch was making him less accommodating. An awkward silence settled in; Steve not sure how to act, and Tony not really giving a fuck.

"Tony..." Of course Rogers would break the awesome silence.

"So you're the unlucky one who has to babysit a drunken, heartless bastard." Not a question, a statement. Steve sat down on the stool next to him, sensing this wasn't going to end anytime soon. He sighed when the bartender slid another drink to his teammate.

"Anything for you, Captain?" So the bartender obviously recognized him, but a sleazy stripper who probably fantasized more than once about the handsome time traveler couldn't. Tony snorted into his glass.

"Oh, no thank you, sir." Steve flashed another award winning smile. The bartender shrugged; after a brief nod from Tony, he mixed a Super Soldier cocktail in a short glass and placed it in front of Steve on a paper coaster. Steve began to protest, but the man smiled.

"On the house, Captain. It's my pleasure." He smirked and walked away before Steve could say anything. The Captain looked down at the red, clear, and blue concoction and raised an eyebrow at Tony.

"It's a Super Soldier, Stars and Stripes. Grenadine, vanilla vodka, and blue curaçao. You'll like it," Tony smirked. Steve gave him a tight lipped glare, before raising the glass. After a full five second mulling, the soldier nodded.

"Good call, partner," the blond smiled. Despite everything, Tony smiled back. The two sat in silence for a moment, each sipping lightly. Tony could feel Rogers' nerves building and dropping, the inner plight mingling with their companionable silence. The genius decided to save his friend from his inner turmoil.

"Pepper dumped me." What could he say? Being direct was his thing.

Steve regarded him quietly, choosing his words. Tony expected as such; Steve was very thoughtful, almost painfully so, and was planning his every response. After a brief pause, the soldier clapped his arm around Tony's shoulders and gave a squeeze. The gesture was awkward with Steve's larger build, but oddly comforting.

"What happened?" He asked. Tony looked into the rich hue of his scotch, wishing it held his answer, before removing his Aviator sunglasses and running his eyes.

"We had a fight, a pretty big one, bigger than the whole 'Why-did-you-throw-the-nuke-into-space-like-a-reckless-idiot?' incident. She asked me to drop S.H.I.E.L.D. and pull all my funding from the Avengers, saying that she wanted a stable life with me. I can't blame her; I'm hell to deal with as it is, not with the addition of possible alien invasions or hostile takeovers or near death experiences exactly tipping things in my favor. So I see why she would want to settle down and just run the company with me."

Steve's eyes never left his face, brow creased with worry. He squeezed Tony's shoulder, urging him on. The billionaire sighed, knocking back his drink. The bartender was one step ahead, setting another glass nearby. Steve silently thanked him, knowing that Tony would leave a fantastic tip regardless of his drunkenness. Said man sighed again and traded the glasses before continuing.

"I should have said yes. She's the best thing ever in my shitty world, and I know that. But I couldn't leave well enough alone and just go with it. Nope, not Tony-fucking-Stark, billionaire genius. Well, news flash, Cap!" He leaned over, covering his mouth as if from prying eyes. His scotch flavored breath ghosted over Steve's ear when he aided to the ruse by leaning in. "I'm not much of a fucking genius. She told me so when I said no, when I rejected her idea of a happy life with me. What the hell is wrong with me? I don't even know why I didn't go with it!"

"Tony," Steve began, his blue eyes softening. Tony met his gaze; despite being on his probably (definitely) tenth glass of Glenlivet, his eyes were bright and cunning like every other day. If there was anything that could be said about Tony Stark, he could hold his scotch quite well. "Tony, you know she'll come around. She knows how important the team is to you."

"That's it! That's the whole point. What's more important - her or you guys. She had to know, had to ask the worse possible question in the worse way with the WORSE timing. Them or me? Over and over. I couldn't answer it. It should be her, but it isn't. It's you, Birdbrain, Point Break, Science Bro, Spandex Queen. Hell, even JARVIS and DUM-E, for some fucking reason." Tony knew he was rambling, knew that Steve knew it, too. He couldn't stop. All the anger he felt at himself was spilling out, tumbling in pools between them. Steve, bless him, nodded at all the right times while Tony keep pushing. The billionaire wasn't even sure what he was saying anymore, if it even made any sense.

After the long confession, Tony felt his mind return to some semblance of order. He had somehow ended up turning fully towards Captain America; the man's hand never left his shoulder, but simply moved to a more comfortable position. And, quite frankly, kept Tony on the stool and not huddled on the glitter-stained floor, where he wanted to be at this point.

"She said she had never believed it herself, but that she finally found out it was all true. That I actually never did have a heart," he all but whispered. He heard Steve's sharp draw of breath but pressed on. "I lost it. I told her to get the fuck out, and she left. I tried to sober up for her, but decided to fuck that too. And here I am." That rounded up quite nicely, Tony decided. He looked at his friend, waiting for what he would say.

Steve squeezed his shoulder before pulling him into an awkward one-armed man-hug, much to Tony's surprise. He almost was jostled off of the stool, but Steve's sure grip kept him grounded.

"Tony, regardless of what may or may not happen, you have my total support and that of the whole Avengers. She'll come around, but by then I hope you are able to find some happiness in someone else. She obviously isn't deserving if she can't see how close we all are. Sure it was tough at first, but we're pretty much inseparable," Steve smiled. He had long since let Tony go, but the billionaire's eyes were glued to his. "I don't know much in the ways of romance, and all." He lowered his eyes, suddenly feeling unsure. Steve could rally the best of folk, but give him something like 'love' and he was a bumbling mess. "But I don't think you've got your best years behind you just yet."

With as honest and open as Tony's eyes were, giving his complete attention and devotion, Steve was suddenly awarded with a flashback he thought of often but never wanted to admit to. Soft brown eyes not unlike his friend's own, but accompanied with a pair of bright red lips and complete love. He shook off the thought, pausing briefly. Talks of love were never entirely comfortable with him; he never wanted to think about what could have happened between he and Peggy. What never would get the chance.

"Now I'm no good at this, Tony," the soldier muttered. Tony snapped his attention quickly, shaking his head.

"I know, Steve. Sorry to bring it up with you." Not many knew, but Tony did. Leave it to Stark to recognize a friend's pain while still being encompassed by his own. Steve smiled.

"That's just fine, pal! But it does show promise that she called me after you, right?"

"Yeah, as a glorified babysitter."

"I would never let a baby drink!" Steve suddenly felt appalled. That pulled a bark of laughter from Stark that eased out some of the new tension.

"Good thing we're of age for shots!"

They drank well into the night, Tony's tab surely reaching new heights. Steve offered to help pay, but Tony waved it off. Instead, he slipped the bartender a little extra for helping keep Tony under control before his arrival. The serum he had been injected with decades prior helped keep his drunkenness at bay, but his friend wasn't so lucky.

Steve hauled Tony out among hoots and laughs, pulling him to the expensive Corvette on shaky legs and flailing like an octopus. His own laughter carried by Tony's current state, but now the Super Soldier was faced with a new dilemma: he wanted to drive the lovely car out of such a seedy area, but didn't know where to start. All he could drive was a stick.

"Don't worry, Stars! JARVIS can drive!" So Tony finally had built his famed AI into one of his cars. It reminded Steve of the show Clint had shown him recently, 'Knight Rider'? The soldier buckled Tony in, deciding he would ask Hawkeye later.

Steve slid smoothly into the driver seat, buckling the belt. "Uh, JARVIS?"

"Yes, Captain Rogers?" The AI replied instantly.

"Can you, uhm, drive us back to Avenger Tower?" Even though he was (kind of) used to JARVIS by now, the thought of not driving himself while physically in the seat of a vehicle was absolutely unorthodox.

"Certainly, Captain." The engine roared to life. Steve gulped when he felt the car shift into gear, grabbing the wheel instinctively. "Unfortunately, sir, I will need you to release the wheel." Steve's hands flew to his sides, which he promptly sat on for good measure. Something that sounded suspiciously like a giggle came from Tony, but a well placed glare silenced him.

Moments later, the Corvette's tail lights were but a distant view from the front of the club - and from the view of a pair of mischievous green eyes.

* * *

A/N: First time back in the writing game in years. Thought tackling a new subject would be a great way to start! Going to continue, obviously. Only the beginning! Rate and reviews are always appreciated!


	2. Deserve To Know You Care

_**HUD: That 'Super Soldier' drink I created just for this fic, and the opening day for the newest film. Try it out, tell me what you think! I'm a bartender, so I like feedback on my drinks. :)**_

* * *

The sun glittered over a fresh cityscape, rays bouncing from skyscraper to skyscraper - and straight to Tony's retinas. The man hissed, hands flying to shield his poor eyes.

"What the hell, JARVIS?" He moaned, rolling onto his side away from the window wall.

"My apologies, sir," the AI replied. The billionaire frowned into his pillow.

"At least _try_ to sound remorseful," the man grumbled.

"Shall I make a note to remind you to create emotion sound waves into my vocal operator? Particularly those of sympathy?"

"JARVIS, your inane sense of sarcasm is exactly why I want the note deleted."

"Very good, sir. The coffee machine has three cups brewed and waiting."

"Lovely," Stark mumbled. He drowned out the AI's soothing voice (discussing news, stock trends, weather, things Tony absolutely did not care about) and blinked slowly. He wasn't suffering from the _worst_ hangover ever, but after being out of practice the slightest _anything_ hurt him. Pepper had tried to instill some new morals into him, one of which being 'sober at all hours of the day'. Atrocious.

_ Pepper_.

The thought of her brought a tightness to his chest. Memories of his drinking with Steve the night before trickled back into his consciousness. Tony rubbed his eyes again, not entirely able to remember what he had said; knowing Steve, the man wouldn't talk unless Tony brought it up first. In which case: _no way in hell._

"JARVIS," he interrupted. The voice cut off immediately. "How did I get back here?"

"Captain Rogers, sir."

"Yeah, I get that. How was he when he left?"

"His body readings appeared typical, but his heart rate was abnormal." Tony sighed. Steve was injected with a serum that caused all his bodily rates to run higher than a normal human, making pulse readings and brain scans nearly impossible to decipher as 'normal'.

"If it was abnormal for him, he must have been slightly worked up."

"I believe that was my doing, sir. The incident with your newly enhanced Corvette seemed to put him off kilter." Tony gave a sharp bark of laughter. He had forgotten his friend's obvious discomfort with the idea of driving (without touching the wheel) the two of them back to Avenger Tower.

Still chuckling, he threw his favorite goose down comforter back and slipped from the bed. Tony moved slowly, still trying to acclimate himself to his newly acquired (not at all foreign) hangover. He almost dared to think that he had missed it.

Tony's socked feet made no noise on the plush carpeting as he crossed to his connected bathroom. The lights dimmed to a soft hue when he pushed the door open; JARVIS had continued prattling on about sports scores. Tony tuned him out, the pain in his head worsening slightly.

He pulled open his medicine cabinet, eyes roaming the different bottles. He still had some antibiotics left over from the slight palladium poisoning from years ago. The folded back mirror caught the glow of his arc reactor, making him smirk. The pride he still felt from creating a new synthesized element to run his lifeline caused the smirk to turn to a cheesy grin. His calloused fingers found the bottle of Motrin, giving a shake. Satisfied, Tony opened the bottle and shook out four pills. He put the bottle back and turned on the faucet, drowning out JARVIS. When he went down to sip the water, something the AI said caught his attention.

"What was that, JARVIS?" Tony called after swallowing the pills. He turned off the faucet and threw a towel over his shoulder, stalking back into his room. He felt better from the small sip of water. Hangovers were simply extreme dehydration, after all.

"Miss Pepper Potts has been in the kitchen for nearly five minutes, sir."

"What the hell, JARVIS?! That's immediate information, not _how the Jets did last night!_" He snapped, pulling on slippers and rushing from the door.

"She is not Blacklisted just yet, sir," the AI's voice answered, sliding down the hall walls as Tony all but ran down the stairs. He stopped at the bottom, composing himself.

Pepper stood in the kitchen, her back to him. She was shaking sugar packets into a steaming mug of coffee. Tony held his breath - she was wearing one of his favorite power suits, the one with thin pinstripes that complimented her already long legs. Her hair was pulled into a tight bun, proving that she didn't sleep too well the night before, and her red stilettos clacked against the white tile towards the hidden trash can. She stopped and smiled awkwardly when her eyes found Tony.

"Good morning," Pepper said, turning back to the coffee.

"Why are you here?" He answered, clearing his throat. The coffee smelled so good, but he didn't move any closer.

"I was worried about you, Tony," she sighed. Tony couldn't read her expression, but her shoulders slumped in guilt. _Good_.

"Not worried enough to find me yourself. You sent _goodie-two-shoes,_ instead. Couldn't be bothered, apparently," Tony snapped. She flinched, giving him enough courage to move from the stairs and into the kitchen proper.

"I knew Steve would be able to take care of you," Pepper answered. Tony had moved to stand near enough for the coffee machine. He pulled down a mug quickly, trying to move away. "I already started a mug for you."

"I'm feeling black today, dear. Had a hell of a night." He flashed a smile that was fake enough to make Barbie proud. Her already awkward smile dropped to strained.

"Tony, we need to talk."

"About what? You told me exactly how you felt last night," Tony snarled. He leaned against the counter, crossing his arms across his chest. The billionaire never tried to hide his reactor from Pepper; he always felt so comfortable around her. Right now, though, he felt vulnerable and absolutely would never admit it.

Pepper noticed the change in his demeanor, but didn't say anything. Good; this was _his kitchen_, dammit, and he would absolutely not let her win this. She turned and quickly prepared the coffee to her liking. "We should sit down."

"My _heart_ may not work, but my legs are just fine." Tony shouldn't feel happy at her pain from having her words used against her, but when Pepper's eyes welled with unshed tears he felt nothing but smug.

"Tony, that's what I want to talk about. I was upset last night and didn't mean it," she pleaded. He snorted into his cup.

"Whether you meant it or not doesn't matter now. It's been said. You _know_ what my biggest fear is - you of all people know me better than anyone. Then, _you of all people,_ use it against me!" This was escalating quickly. Tony knew if he didn't stop he may just make things even worse...

As if; this was pretty shitty already.

"Pepper, you know I don't want to fight with you," Tony began, much softer.

"And I don't wanna fight with you!" The tears were free now. His breath hitched, but he didn't move to comfort her. Pepper was pleading, "I want things to be okay. I didn't mean it. You have the biggest heart of anyone I've ever met. I can't stand the thought of you being hurt by your own selflessness." Tony Stark, billionaire/genius/Iron Man - now _selfless_, too. Who knew?

Tony smirked and chuckled despite himself. "Okay, we'll go with that one." He set the mug down and moved towards her. She looked up, confused. He sighed but smiled, brushing away her tears. "Listen, everything's okay, okay? But some things are gonna change."

Pepper stood up straight, still confused, but nodded. "What ever you need." Tony smiled. He knew this would hurt her, but knew it was for the best. She'd surely find someone better, much better.

"You're right; I don't have a heart. Let me finish!" She snapped her mouth shut from trying to protest. "I don't have enough of one to give you what you need, so I'm releasing you from-" he waved his hand between them, "-this. Whatever it is, now. But I'm not firing you, just...now you can see better people."

Her eyes searched his face. He held her gaze. Tony could tell that she needed this, even knew for a while. He just never wanted to give her up. The first person to ever actually accept him... He was all right with it, he supposed. He'd have to be, for her sake. Besides, Steve was right - he _was_ still young! Tony bit his lip at the thought; this self-pitying nonsense stopped..._now_.

Pepper found whatever she was searching him for, smiling softly. She wrapped her arms around his chest and hugged him quickly. "Back to friends, then."

"As always, Pep." Tony smiled and patted her head. He felt her smile widen in the crook of his neck. They stayed there for a moment, both silent. Tony knew that a new chapter of his life was beginning, a new slate. It would be good for him. Back to focusing on work, saving the world and all that.

Pepper left not too long after. Tony saw her off, even watched her walk to her car from the window (at least he was pretty sure it was her; clouds are hard to see through). He sighed, closing his eyes. He was all right with this; he didn't lose her completely, only romantically. She would still love him, and he her, but he knew from the beginning that this life would never give her what she wanted or deserved. Friendship he could totally do.

Tony smiled, glad to get the weight off of his chest. The other Avengers must be out or sleeping, but he knew he didn't want to face them either way. The man stalked back up to his room, chest feeling lighter.

"JARVIS, ready the Corvette," Tony announced. He had cleaned up and changed into a loose Black Sabbath shirt, dark jeans and sneakers.

"Any place in particular, sir?" Tony heard after he swung down the stairs and into the elevator. He pressed the ground floor button, smirking at his own reflection in the mirrored doors as he slipped his Aviators on: _pause for dramatic effect... _

"The place Steve Rogers almost picked up a stripper."

* * *

_**A/N: Thanks for all the traffic and watches. No reviews so far, but that's cool too. I know it's a slow start, but I needed to get this setting in. I also know that this is rated Romance/Humor; every now and then a little chuckle, but this is a darker start. It will get funny, though. Loki makes his (official) appearance in the next chapter. Basically, stick around! It's gonna get good! ;3**_


	3. Waiting In The Dark

**_A/N: I am terribly sorry for the long time between updates; I tried to get two out last week in anticipation of this. I work two jobs, and the weekends are 100% booked up until Friday. I did have two days off, but I was called in to work. :/ As a reward for patience, here is a much longer entry, and finally some Loki! _**

* * *

There were still things about Midgard that surprised Loki Laufeyson, despite his age and experience. The technology was astounding - floating screens and inanimate voices, mobile speaking devices - it borrowed heavily from his own magics, but was still so foreign and new. He particularly was interested in Stark's creations. The man was the only mortal he was unable to capture under the Tesseract's power.

Loki was mischievous by nature, and by default also very curious. He wanted to learn all he could; his natural drive for curiosity led him to learn all of his magics, even creating his own. If he were totally honest (let's face it - when ever was he?), that drive is what urged him to pick up the Tesseract's unknowns. Loki's need to know transcended all else and distracted him enough to fall under Chitauri rule. To control a master of manipulation was quite humorous and ironic, even to such a daft alien race.

Loki served his sentence (unwillingly), which was lessened after it became clear that he was not of his own consciousness (mostly), and drifted away from Asgard. Having conjured quite a comfortable dwelling, he stayed on the outskirts of New York City. His want to overtake the populace lessened after being freed from his prison, both physically and mentally. Loki was still wary of the inhabitants, rarely coming across one that didn't remember him in some negative form. When he did, however, find that soul that felt no animosity towards him, the god found himself surprised again. Not only by Midgardian technologies, but also their kindness. Acceptance was a rare feeling for him, but strangers seemed to give it so freely.

It was this foreign kindness that led him where he was, sitting in a booth against a dark magenta wall of the club known as Slinky. He was told he was in an area near New York City called by the male bartender that had given him passage into the building. His name was Greg, and Loki had met him (or rather, Greg had plowed into him on the street and nearly shoved him into oncoming traffic) while wandering the streets under his recently adapted mortal guise. After pulling Loki back onto the safety of the sidewalk, Greg had begged to make it up. He offered a drink and dinner at the night club he worked at, to which Loki had agreed. It would have been rude not to, and Loki learned very quickly never to turn down free things.

Greg knew him as Lance, and seemed to take a shine to him quickly. The mortal was kind and friendly, which befitted his job quite nicely. He and Loki had spoken over what Greg called 'burritos', which Loki found extremely difficult to eat with any dignity before giving up entirely and mirroring Greg's burrowing stance. Loki knew Greg considered him more than acquaintance when he asked him to stay and have any drink on the house. Again, Loki did not refuse.

Loki had seated himself close enough for Greg to sit for a chat when the club was slow, but at the perfect angle to see everything in the club. The entire place reminded him of a brothel, especially when the females would flock to him like fresh meat. Loki knew he had assets, which he unconsciously amplified with his mortal visage, but Greg managed to keep them at bay.

After taking in every sight, sound, and mortal in the club, Loki began to grow bored. Greg continued to drop by with a fresh drink every so often, accompanied by conversation, until nearly midnight. A new patron walked in, surprising Loki immensely as well as the rest of the staff. The man carried himself with his usual confidence, but something was amiss. Still, Loki knew him immediately: Tony Stark, the Man of Iron, and the one enigma that Loki was determined to solve.

"Holy shit," Greg murmured. He had just settled across from Loki, passing over a new drink. "That's Tony-_fucking_-Stark."

Loki snorted, slipping his deft fingers around the fresh glass. "Your phrasing still amuses me, Greg."

"Good to know, Lance - but _seriously_! He's a celebrity. You _do_ recognize him, right?"

Loki feigned ignorance, tilting his head as if in contemplation. He did little to hide his unearthly accent, knowing he would sound like he was from another country. Greg shook his head, having already commented on Loki's obvious lack of knowledge for pop culture more than a dozen times. He still did not elaborate, but instead stood up when Tony picked a seat at the bar. "Well, _I_ know him. I'll try not to geek out too much." Greg flashed a toothy grin and turned to man his bar.

Loki watched him go, shaking his head. Of course he knew the mortal; he spent a great deal of time watching the man from afar for the first few months of his stay on Midgard. After fruitless efforts to learn his secrets by watching, Loki knew he needed to become a part of Tony's life to become privy. The past few weeks the god spent less time watching and more time wandering, hoping for a new plan to weasel up to Stark.

That wandering led to birthing a mortal disguise, which led to being manhandled into what would surely be a mortal death, which led to sitting in his savior's (or harbinger, however viewed) place of employment where the object of Loki's musings had just waltzed into. It seemed sometimes the Fates were on Loki's side, after all.

Greg was greeting Tony, which pulled Loki from his reverie into the present. The mortal had serious weight on his shoulders, but hid it well when Greg announced his name. Tony smiled, shaking Greg's hand. Anything for a fan.

Loki caught himself leaning forward unconsciously to listen in, daring not to use magic so near. He could not hear exactly, but was able to read Stark's lips in the mirror behind Greg.

'_Anything for a fan!_' Loki snorted; 'called it', as they say.

'_I'm honored, Mr. Stark. But honestly, you don't look so good,_' Greg's lips answered. Tony's grip on the younger man's hand lessened, but he didn't release.

'_I'm cool as a cucumber!'_ Loki doubted he had read that correctly. How does one be as void of heat as a vegetable grown among topsoil? '_And please, call me Tony._' Tony never removed his dark tinted glasses, but Loki knew the smile was a facade.

'_Are you sure, sir? I can hear you out; kind of my job._' Greg's expression showed genuine concern when he let go and gestured vaguely to his post. His eyes met Loki's in a 'SEE HOW EXCITED I AM!?' manner like that of a child. Loki grinned despite himself at the mortal's excitement. Tony caught Greg's eyes shift to somewhere over his shoulder and turned.

Loki felt his heart stop; had he been found out? He dared not to be caught so early in his game, and so did not meet Tony's gaze. The god immediately sipped the cucumber drink Greg had brought him earlier, looking anywhere but the bar. He did discover the meaning of the phrase he had questioned from Tony; Greg's cucumber drink was extremely refreshing, and he would almost go so far as to describe it as 'cool'.

Tony turned back after what could only have been the duration of a quick glance, but felt to Loki much longer. '_I'll have whatever that guy's having,'_ Loki read. Tony had emphasized by jerking a thumb over his shoulder at Loki's direction. The god relaxed a fraction, but his focus doubled at nearly being caught.

Loki watched in the mirror Tony's expressions as he recounted his stories. They began as tirades with the other Avengers and their battles and captures of adversaries. Greg listened intently, nodding at the right times. Whenever Tony would knock back a shot, Greg flashed a big thumbs up in Loki's direction. The god humored him, smiling for the mortal's benefit. Then Greg would be back to mixing drinks for Tony, reacting at all the right lines. The man had moved from the drink Loki was nursing to much more potent liquors.

'_Well then, Greg, I believe you've gotten me drunk enough to tell my story.' _Finally, all this infernal waiting to hear something of consequence. Loki shifted in his seat, facing the mirror fully. Greg noticed his shift at the booth, nodding apologetically.

'_Sure thing, Tony. Let me go check on my friend real quick, and get him a new drink. I'll be right back._' _What? No, stay there you blithering mortal! _Loki could strangle him; the sharp tendrils of his magic crackled around him in anger. He was _so close_.

But Greg was unaware of Loki's murderous intent, turning from Tony's nod to mix Loki another cucumber soothe. The god's fingers dug deeply into the cheap vinyl when Greg bounded up to him.

"Dude, Tony Stark is _in_ my bar, _talking_ to me! He's loving my drinks, telling me cool Avengers stories, and he's actually a pretty cool guy - hey, you okay, Lance?" Loki had barely been listening to the mortal's rantings, having been entirely enveloped in his own anger. Now, however, he was staring at a scantily clad blonde woman sliding up next to Tony.

"Yes, Gregory, I am fine. Your new '_pal_', however, seems to have some new _growth_ on his left shoulder," Loki ground out, plucking his fresh glass from Greg's now lax hand. The god's anger focused on the woman instead of his ill-timed friend, making him growl deep from his throat. Greg frowned, looking over his shoulder. He groaned and threw his hands up.

"Oh, what the _hell_?! I walk away for, like, _five minutes_ and Bunny jumps all over him!" He shook his head, on his way back. "Hey I'm sorry Lance. I'll be back soon though."

"No rush," Loki grinned, adopting his unconcerned appearance once again. Another near slip, but he would be damned if he allowed anything to take what was his. The god watched as Greg urged Bunny away, who looked entire unperturbed, and went back around the bar. Greg shook his head and murmured what Loki mused to be an apology; Tony shook his head in return and clapped the bartender's shoulder.

It was in the moment that Tony started his tale, that Loki realized he needed to relieve himself. Quite badly. Quickly he analyzed how many drinks Greg had fed him (was this his eighth or twelfth?), before the pressure became too much. He cursed himself that he would miss such a vital piece of information for such an amateur failure, but pushed himself from the booth nonetheless. Loki pretended to catch his balance (he had decided he had had fourteen drinks from Greg) before heading towards the restroom he had catalogued earlier. Greg's eyes flicked to him briefly, but Loki waved at him and pointed where he was headed. Greg nodded and turned back to Tony.

Loki pushed the door open with much more force than necessary, startling a couple in the far corner. It was one of the call girls and an older gentleman; she was poised quite suggestively at the zipper of his pants.

"T-that was _locked_!" she stammered.

"My _apologies_," Loki answered, voice dripping with unbridled disdain and sarcasm. Honestly, he hadn't noticed the door being locked in his fury, but wouldn't have stopped even if he had. He let a fraction of his magic out to play with the already dim lights, making shadows dance like demons. She shrieked, jumping up to all but fly from the now cramped room and leaving her partner behind.

Loki looked expectantly at the man, raising an eyebrow. The old man suddenly felt very trapped. Loki grinned, now inches away from his ear to whisper - "_Boo_."

Loki found himself happily alone and slightly less irritated, listening to the man holler about ghosts and snakes and things that go bump...

The god finished up at the urinal (atrocious things, these were) before turning to wash his hands. The mirror before him was spotless, but cracked at the edges. Everything about this place appeared clean, but frayed at the seams. His emerald eyes found his mirrored ones and settled. His mortal appearance wasn't terribly creative and definitely not his best work, but seemed to suffice. Loki had left his hair much the same (which had grown several inches over his captivity, but he did not mind), slicked back from his face and fanned out around his shoulder blades in small waves and flips. He wore a black button down shirt tucked in loosely at the waist, but unbuttoned at the top to showcase a deep green shirt underneath and cuffed at the elbows. His lower half was clothed in what were called 'blue jeans' (but not always blue?) that were almost the same color of his shirt. But the worse (but most complimented, he found) were the thin rimmed, square, silver glasses. His magics conjured his ability to see just well through the thick glass, but he knew this was his strongest asset, even if his least favorite. Loki was confident that Tony would have recognized him without them, even if such a slight change they were.

Satisfied his appearance was disgruntled enough to appear intoxicated, he slid from the bright pink room to the much more welcomed magenta main set. Loki's eyes swept the room, taking in what he could: Greg and Tony had not moved, only seemed to get further into conversation, but were not his prime objective. The incident in the restroom had been rash, and with the Iron Man right there, he could not risk his cover blown.

Finally he found the pair, huddled farthest from the hallway the bathroom was located in. Loki willed the girl to look his way; when their eyes met, he pushed fowl promises into her mind should she utter a word to anyone. The same to her partner, who promptly fled. Loki watched him stumble out, turning to hold a finger to his mouth in a silent promise, pursing his lips. She dipped behind the stage, not quite able to hide her crying and convulsions.

The bouncer near the door had turned from the frightened mortal man's abandonment, raising an eyebrow. Loki chuckled and mimed chugging a drink (mortals could be quite amusing in their jests). The larger man smirked, shaking his head. Feeling satisfied, Loki settled back into his booth and turned his attention back to his prize.

Greg had turned away to another patron, leaving Tony alone momentarily. Loki cleared his throat, deciding now was his chance - only Bunny had now happily bounced back up to the mortal. Loki hissed, dropping back further into the booth. If he did anything more with his magic, Tony would surely discover him; Loki had other things in mind for the evening, and fighting was not one of them. Instead, he signaled Greg and pointed.

The man looked up, his eyes following Loki's slender finger. Loki snickered when he could practically hear the bartender sigh, irritation obvious in his features. Greg made his way over to wave the temptress off when a newcomer approached. Somehow Loki had let his attention slip again, and in the wake came the one called Captain America.

Loki watched the man smile, obvious relief at finding Stark. So he had snuck off without telling anyone? Something interesting must have occurred; interesting, indeed...

When Bunny was sent off in a huff by Tony himself, Loki decided he wanted to kill her. Had she not once, _but twice_, interrupted his watching, he would have the answers to some of his most burning questions. He was pulled from burning holes in the back of her head by Greg waving franticly at him. The man was all but tripping over his feet to get over to Loki.

"Oh my god, Lance, _Lance_! Captain America and Iron Man in the same night at my bar! What the hell are the _chances_? I was cool as hell, too - I gave him a drink on the house! Tony and I had came up with it! Lance, man, this is _cool_ as _hell_; I'm so glad you're here to spend this with me, man, like _seriously_." Loki was originally over his shock from Greg's kindness, chalking it up as guilt for their initial run in. By the end of the man's ramblings, Loki was once again surprised by his sincerity. Greg was actually glad to have him there, sharing his experience. As a friend would.

Loki returned Greg's infectious grin with a small smile. It was enough; Greg clapped his arm around Loki's shoulders and pulled him into a side hug, jostling Loki's glasses against Greg's cheek. Loki stiffened from the contact, but Greg just laughed. Suddenly he was up and gone, back to the bar. Loki quietly fixed his glasses and just watched.

Greg was a few inches shorter than Loki, with bright blue eyes and dark brown hair. He was overly optimistic but not naive, having tended bar at _Slinky_ since the place opened and seen a wide variety of sleazy acts. Loki knew Greg felt friendship towards him, which developed much quicker than he had anticipated, but Loki couldn't bring it to a stop. The god suddenly felt very, very _guilty_ for his deception. His first friendly mortal relationship, and still it was a lie.

Somehow, Loki decided then, he would make up his deception and pay back Gregory Bell for his uninhibited kindness and acceptance. _Somehow_.

Loki's musing had been his downfall yet again, because now he was watching Tony nearly fall off his chair and being fully supported by the super human.

"Thank you for watching out for him, Greg," Loki heard the captain say. The god had even missed the payment of the bill, but did not miss the extra press of currency into Greg's palm when Rogers shook his hand. Greg grinned sheepishly, moving around the bar to help carry the inebriated Tony-_fucking_-Stark to the door.

Loki was waved over (still too enthusiastically) by his new friend. The god sighed and stood up dramatically slow, before knocking back his drink and sauntering over. Greg stood in the door, waving to the retreating twosome. Rogers stood his ground as best as he could with a flapping, flailing man child swinging around his knees; Loki honestly couldn't hold back his snort of laughter.

Greg grinned over at him. "I really don't think anyone will believe me. It's like if Bill Murray ate one of my fries at Wendy's; no one is going to believe this!" Greg turned towards him; the reference was completely lost on Loki, but he smiled anyway. "You have to be my witness."

"It will be my pleasure, Greg," Loki replied, softer than he had intended. Greg's smile softened as well, before turning his attention back to his retreating patrons. Steve Rogers was buckling in a (loudly) giggling Iron Man. Loki wished he could somehow use this scene as blackmail.

They watched in silence, Loki inwardly cursing his missed chance for the umpteenth time. The only one who would have been able to hear what had happened to Stark was Greg, and he had been _so damn close_. Loki needed an entrance desperately, which was nearly impossible without causing a stir by using magic. He needed another way, and needed to be much better prepared for the next time. For Loki was sure there would be a second chance.

"Gregory," Loki said, feeling the plan form a cunning grin on his features.

"Yeah, Lance?" Their eyes were focused on the expensive Corvette, roaring to life. Loki knew this was foolproof; yet another absolutely perfect plan...

"I believe I would like to apprentice under your guidance." Loki turned his eyes onto his friend, smirking still. Greg stood up straighter, happiness practically making him vibrate.

"You want to bartend, with _me_? You want me to _teach_ you?" When Loki nodded, Greg wrapped his arms around Loki for the second time that night, third time in their meeting. Loki coughed, surprised, before deciding he really didn't like being touched.

Before he could say anything, Greg was gone and had turned to go back inside. "We can start right now, Lance. Time for _Last Call!_" The man had cupped his hands around his mouth, amplifying the last half. Loki nodded, letting his eyes drift after the Corvette. He watched until the tail lights were gone and Greg was yelling for him to come in. Loki smirked, ducking back inside the pink club. He felt quite pleased with the recent turn of events, especially the birth of his newest plan.

"Lance! Dude, _get in here!_"

"On my way," Loki answered. The high from his new concoction made his voice sound giddy, causing Greg's smile to widen impossibly. They were thinking entirely different things, but Loki matched his enthusiasm with a smirk and let the heavy door shut behind him. Perfect, absolutely _perfect_. Loki was determined to see this through:

Greg would pass along his talents, to which Loki would undoubtably catch on quickly. Loki would wait until Tony Stark's inevitable return, and charm his secrets out with little to no force (or magic) required. Perfectly _flawless_.

Oh yes - this was simply _delicious_.

(Tony would later tell Loki this was one of his worst possible plans, even worse than trying to take over Midgard. Loki would still deny it, and blame Tony Stark for ruining everything, as usual. It really was a lovely plan.)

* * *

_**A/N 2: And there we go! Chapter 3 all up, finally. There will not be such a break for the next installment, that I do promise. I was briefly concerned at seeming OOC with Loki, but I figured he isn't exactly being himself to begin with and thus dropped all concern. Review again, as always! Thank you all again for your patience. **_

_**Oh, and fun fact - today was on of those 13 hours days at work, so I brought my iPad mini. I pulled my file up at 11:30 am, and am just now uploading this at 11:30 pm! It took me twelve hours to proofread this bitch because of fucking work! Twelve hours! Damn ridiculousness. **_


	4. Black and White Intentions

"This is the speed well, Lance. The first five bottles on the right are all you need for a Long Island, then these two for a margarita, and here's the rum."

Loki had stayed an hour after _'Last Call'_ with Greg, watching the closing process. Greg assured him that they would work together almost all the time; he was the only bartender, after all. The owners had been looking for a second, and hired Loki immediately the next day.

Greg was overly enthusiastic, rattling off locations of bottles mingled with procedure and recipes. Were Loki a mere mortal, the rate his tutor was speaking and the knowledge would have been too much all at once; but Loki was a god. This was _nothing_.

"You'll learn as you go, plus I'll always be here if you need anything! So, any questions?" Greg asked, folding his arms across his chest. Today he was wearing a tight t-shirt and dark jeans with sneakers. He had assured Loki that there wasn't really a dress code as long as he always wore a black shirt.

"I believe I will catch on quite well, thank you," Loki answered. Greg's smile widened into a toothy grin, flashing his white teeth.

"Awesome! I can tell you're a smart guy, and the owners loved you immediately. Oh, and don't worry about being off the books; I'll keep an extra eye on you so nothing happens," Greg said. When Loki had been unable to produce neither identification or any proof of residence, the god felt his chance dwindling. Greg had once again come through, saying Loki's green card had been delayed. "I know a guy that can get you one of those citizenship cards, so as soon as he calls me back you're golden."

"I thank you immensely," Loki said. Greg seemed to know much more than his cheerful manner allowed others to believe. Loki was surprised yet again by the man's resourcefulness. Although the idea of having to be protected like a damsel did not sit well.

"All righty! Well there's some stuff you need to know about the bar and the building in general, so what do you feel like eating?" Greg smiled again, passing over a menu. Loki took it gingerly, looking up at Greg. "You eat here for free for being an employee - pretty sweet perk if you ask me. We sell Tex Mex food, you know, typical bar crap like wings, quesadillas, burritos, burgers, and nachos. But it's actually pretty good!"

Loki handed the menu back, saying, "Yet another thing I am unfamiliar with. I shall allow you choice." Greg blinked.

"Man, your accent is intoxicating. Like a mix of British and German and Swedish all into one. Cool as hell," Greg said, his eyes taking on a dreamy look. Loki smirked, raising one eyebrow. He tapped the laminated menu in his friend's lax hand. "_Oh! _Gosh, sorry man. Uh, we'll split some stuff so you can try something new," Greg mumbled, scratching the back of his head. His face reddened from embarrassment at being caught ogling his pal. Loki's smirk grew at his discomfort.

"Quit grinning at me, Lance!" Greg chided, turning away. He opened the half door separating the bar from the club and held it for Loki. "Go get a booth and I'll tell the kitchen."

"Absolutely," Loki answered, letting his voice thicken. Greg huffed at him and let the door hit Loki's knees.

"Shut up, _dick_."

Loki laughed loudly, scratching his wounded knees. It didn't take a genius to know that was meant to be an insult, but it held no threat coming from the blushing man. Loki didn't answer, but grinned as he pushed the half door open again. Teasing was always relaxing.

Loki chose the same booth he had sat at the night before, Greg sitting down shortly after. He sighed, stretching his legs out under the table. Loki felt a graze against his knee and foot, but said nothing.

"Okay, so we're basically a glorified strip club. We open at four officially, but only for lunch and dinner. The kitchen closes at ten, which is when the club opens. You and I are here all night, though. Usually no one comes in for lunch, as you can tell -" he waved his arm around the empty room, " - so it's pretty relaxing. It starts picking up around six. Don't worry about waiting on the tables, though. The girls come in around then and double as servers to make some extra cash. We got Phil the Bouncer watching to make sure no one gets fresh, but we have to help out, too. Just three guys work here - Phil, me, and now you." Greg emphasized the last part with a point. Loki looked at his finger, then back to Greg's face. The god had adopted a relaxed position, chin resting on his fist. "You _can_ hold yourself in a fight, _right_?"

Loki snorted and rolled his eyes. "Of course," he drawled, suddenly irritated.

Greg held up his palms in defense. "Hey, gotta ask. No offense, but did I or did I not almost kill you by bumping into you on the street?"

_"Your barbaric form barreled into me,"_ Loki snapped. "I was entirely blindsided!"

"I know," Greg chuckled. "It was pretty funny. You know, aside from almost killing you. Sorry, again." He straightened, scratching his head again. The mortal was a wider build than he, but Loki had speed and height over him - among other hidden assets. Loki urged Greg on with a wave of his hand.

"Yeah, so _Last Call _is around two, then we lock the doors and are done around two-thirty. It's a long shift, but we're only open Wednesday through Sunday; plus we only stay open 'til midnight on Sundays," Greg continued. He stopped, thinking of what else to say. Suddenly he snapped his fingers, eyes widening, and said, "Oh yeah! The girls don't do shows on the floor. There are sitting rooms down the hallways behind my bar. Some are behind glass, like you're watching TV. Others are more inviting, like a living room. The office is that way, too, remember?" Loki nodded - the office was were he had been led to begin the hiring process.

"All right," Loki said. "Anything else of consequence?"

Greg tapped his chin, twisting his mouth around as his eyes roamed the spacious room for a clue. After a few minutes, he frowned and shook his head. "No, I think you're good. If I forget something, it's fine. It's not like you're flying solo or anything," Greg mused, waving a hand in the air. He closed his eyes and slid further into the booth. When their knees touched the second time, Loki shifted to the side.

Silence settled in, strangely comfortable. Loki watched Greg's face, placid under the soft glow of the lighting as his head lolled against the top of the booth. He noticed immediately when he had arrived earlier that his new friend had not slept well the night before. Greg smirked, fidgeting a little.

"I know, I look like shit. I was just so worked up from meeting Iron Man and Captain America; then you wanted to bartend and hang out more and I honestly thought my heart was gonna take off without the rest of me, I was _so damn excited_," Greg opened his eyes, looking down the raise of his cheeks at Loki. "I've lived here for almost two years and somehow managed to _not_ make a single friend or run into a celebrity. So, I got, like, zero sleep!" The man laughed at himself, rubbing his face. Loki smiled softly, feeling the beginning bonds of kinship.

"I lack companionship as well, but for characterization flaws. Or so I have been told," Loki replied quietly. Greg turned his face fully towards him, confusion evident. After a brief moment of study, Greg simply shook his head.

"Well, you seem pretty all right to me! And _fuck_ who doesn't think so; you're my friend now, so my opinion is all that counts to me," Greg said. He reached over and patted Loki's forearm, smiling another of those stupidly infectious grins. Loki looked at the hand, wanting to pull away, but fought the urge; he smiled for Greg's benefit, patting the man's hand a bit awkwardly.

Again, the barest signs of Loki's acknowledgment was all Greg seemed to need. He squeezed before letting go, looking over his shoulder at the kitchen door. "I'm freaking _hungry_; what's taking so long?" He sighed, pushing his weight up from the booth and began the trek. Loki released a breath he didn't realize he still held.

The god watched Greg stalk across the room. He really did look quite disgruntled, with his shirt showing heavy wrinkles and the slight darkening of skin beneath his eyes. The man still held his ever cheerful demeanor, but seemed to have let some of the mask slip with Loki. He wondered if Greg really meant what he had said. Loki knew no reason for the mortal to lie to him, especially having gone so far out of his way multiple times. Besides, Loki could feel a lie in the air, and felt nothing from Greg's earlier words. Still, his own self-loathing made the declaration hard to take at face value. Loki's guilt came back tenfold with the thought of the man's unbiased opinion without knowing the truth. Would he still feel the same, when Loki dropped his act? Would he ever, simply for Greg's benefit?

Those were questions he held no answers for. Loki knew the need to answer would arise, but there was a more pressing thought. Ever since meeting, Loki felt the nagging feeling that Greg reminded him of someone. Given age and time, Loki had met quite a few beings. He busied himself going through the mental checklist of who it may be, but the task was quite a large undertaking.

Loki was startled out of his reverie by heavy plates being sat down before him. Loki blinked his eyes quickly, trying to refocus. After trying to decipher and failing, he looked up at Greg expectantly. The mortal was sitting back down, passing a smaller plate with a silverware set and napkin on it towards Loki.

"Here is the best of the best - namely, my favorites," Greg grinned. "Well, almost all my favorites. Yesterday we had burritos, so I didn't think you'd want that a second time. But I can eat those all freaking _day_, man."

"I appreciate the consideration," Loki drawled, rolling his eyes. Greg laughed and started pointing to plates. The first looked like a small plate of mini mountains, covered in...everything?

"Okay, these are nachos. They have black beans, ground beef, diced tomatoes, lettuce, tortilla chips, and lots and lots of gooey, melty cheese. Usually they have onion, but I hate onion. And this is sour cream and guacamole on the side," Greg said, holding up smaller dishes of a dense white sauce and a blocky, chunky green goop. Loki decided he may try the sour cream, but the green mash would be a no-go. Greg saw his sneer at the mashed avocado and laughed. "No on the guac? More for me, then!"

Greg angled that plate, pulling another closer. It looked much more bland, with hardly any color. "So, this is a quesadilla. It's like a Mexican sandwich. It's made from a flour tortilla, just like the burrito, but filled with goodies and flattened. This one has cheese and chicken, and the other one is cheese and steak. On the side is lettuce, tomato, more guac for me, and sour cream. It's a little 'create-your-own' style." These looked much better to Loki, and much cleaner.

Greg did the same with the other plates, pulling forward the last one. "And these are chicken wings, lightly battered and deep fried, then tossed in a sauce. Pretty easy, but so delicious," he moaned, grabbing a wing. "So there we go! Help yourself, and tell me what you think. You kinda have to know what the stuff tastes like to sell it. Trust me, I have the same policy on alcohol, too." Greg winked, taking a bite out of the wing. Loki shook his head, letting out a light chuckle. Greg was definitely different.

Loki pulled a triangle of the steak quesadilla onto his plate, lifting the top. The aroma was actually quite good, urging him to scoop tomatoes and lettuce quicker than he normally would. The sour cream gave him pause, so he scooped just a bit onto the side of his plate for dipping. Greg was onto his third wing, setting the bones aside neatly on a third small plate. Loki knew Greg had brought the silver for his benefit, because this all struck him as food clearly meant to be eaten by hand.

Even in Asgard, Loki detested eating with his hands. It was entirely undignified, and he couldn't bare not being able to leave and wash his hands without permission. He set about looking for a way to go knife and fork. The whole thing was held together by his own ingredients, which he had to pull apart to add. Loki sighed, picking up the triangle by the base. Greg had already seen his failed attempts with the burrito; how much worse could this be?

Oh, _infinitely worse._

Greg peered around Loki, eyes confused. They had both heard the door to the club open, but Loki ignored it. The half finished wing fell from Greg's hand as he scrambled to get up from the booth, not noticing Loki's raised eyebrow. The god didn't bother to look; the quesadilla was actually quite delicious and distracting.

"Oh my god, I didn't think -_ holy shit_! You came _back_?"

"Sure did! Got some good drinks last night. You got some sauce on your face, buddy." Loki froze mid chew. No, this couldn't be _happening now_. He wasn't _ready now_. He looked up at Greg, hoping he had somehow misheard. Judging by the giddy look in Greg's eyes, Loki knew he was in trouble. He felt weight settle on the top of the booth beside his face.

"Got room for one?" Loki tore his eyes from Greg's face and over. Tony Stark was leaning against the booth, mere inches from Loki. Loki swallowed, trying to clear his throat. He wasn't starting to panic, he just needed a moment.

Tony was smiling, having taken off his sunglasses this time. His clothes were more relaxed today than the night before, but judging from his warm eyes and smile, he had not recognized Loki. _Yet_.

Loki simply nodded, not trusting himself to speak. He slid in further, feeling Tony's hand graze the back of his head from the movement. The Avenger settled in next to Loki, but at a comfortable distance.

"You guys got quite the spread here!" Tony commented, slinging his arm around the top of the booth. Loki watched the mortal carefully, leaning forward to not rest his head against Tony's arm.

"Yeah! There's no way we'll finish it all, so please help yourself!" Greg stammered, grabbing a napkin to wipe his face. Tony and Loki shared a brief glance - Tony with a small smirk, and Loki rolling his eyes. "Oh geez, my manners," Greg said, clearing his throat. "Anybody want a drink?"

"Scotch on the rocks, Glenlivet," Tony said, smirking. He pulled the last small plate Greg had brought over to him, along with a few wings. Loki shook his head, still not trusting his voice. Being caught unaware was one of the god's least favorite pastimes.

"Cool! Be back!" He smiled and bounded to the bar. Loki slowly took another bite, feeling quite uncomfortable.

Tony, however, seemed quite the opposite. "No matter where, wings are always awesome."

Loki said nothing, taking another bite and chewing slowly. He watched Tony from his peripheral vision, charting his options. The booth they were sharing was round, placing Loki between Greg and Tony. He had a decent vantage point, but was technically trapped. The turn of events was awkward and unwelcome at best, but Loki would adapt.

"Not from New York, are you?" Tony asked. Loki continued to chew, using the time to decide how to answer. Tony watched him for a moment, before smirking, "I know you can speak."

"_Of course I can speak, you fool,_" Loki snapped, his eyes widening slightly. That definitely was not how he wanted to start this. Tony raised an eyebrow.

"Well, maybe you _are_ from New York," Tony said, smirking again. He cleaned off his right hand before offering it to Loki. "Welcome to town. The name's Tony Stark."

Loki looked at Tony's outstretched and patient hand. There was no way around this contact, so Loki gave the barest of smiles before grasping Tony's hand slowly. Tony's smirk turned into a triumphant smile as he wrapped his fingers tightly around Loki's hand.

"I am Lance," Loki said, pausing briefly. The feel of the mortal's hand in his caused a stir, causing Loki's breath to hitch. He attributed it to a small success, albeit a rushed one. "Lance Norse."

Tony held his grip, nodding at Loki's full mortal name. "Suits you," he said, not releasing Loki's hand. Instead, something in the genius' gaze shifted; he began to pull Loki closer by their shared grip. Tony's honey brown eyes were searching Loki's bright emerald eyes behind his glass shield, inching closer. Loki used his free hand to brace himself from the pull as his heart dropped - he could not bear to be found out so soon.

"Have I _met_ you before?" Tony inquired. He still pulled Loki closer, until the god could feel Tony's breath ghosting over his nose. _Fresh mint_, he thought.

"Yeah! He was here last night too, in this same booth!" _Oh, Greg - you have saved me not once, but twice,_ Loki thought. He let his eyes flutter shut and the breath he was holding released when Tony looked away. The mortal almost seemed annoyed; he gave Loki's hand a brief squeeze before dropping it and turning towards Greg.

"Oh, you had that cucumber drink," Tony said, stroking his goatee. Greg set down three glasses and slid back into his position. Loki pushed himself away from Tony, trying to achieve the previous distance (and then some), before speaking.

"Indeed; I believe Gregory named it a 'cucumber soothe'?" The god answered. He had Tony's full attention, which unsettled him slightly. Loki knew Tony wouldn't stop at the mere glance of last night to place where they had met previously. He just hoped to distract the man enough to not remember being thrown out of a window.

"The one and only! It's got Elderflower liquor, some lemon sour, some simple syrup, acai berry liquor, and, of course, cucumber," the bartender drawled, counting off ingredients on his fingers. "It's super refreshing."

"It wasn't too bad," Tony said. "But I prefer the hard stuff." Greg grinned, passing over Tony's drink. He kept a short glass in front of himself, and passed a tall one to Loki.

"It's water. I can't stand someone not having a drink of some kind in front of them," Greg supplied, smiling. Loki felt grateful, conveying so to his friend in a light smile.

"Hell, I heard that," Tony grinned, taking a sip. "Everything's always better with a drink involved."

Indeed, Loki thought. If Tony was this apt to start drinking, weening information would be much simpler than even Loki expected.

The three of them finished off their lunch in meaningless conversation. Tony and Greg would start talking about a sports team of some kind to which Loki would listen and eat in silence. Greg tried to steer the conversation around menial topics, but Tony wasn't nearly as forth right with information as he had been the night before. Eventually Greg caught on, and began working in things he knew Loki would be able to discuss.

"So, Lance; have you seen the Metropolitan Museum of Art yet?" The man asked around a mouth of nacho.

Loki frowned, recalling the map he had memorized before setting out the day before. "Not as of yet; I was on my way to that area yesterday, actually." He couldn't stop his smirk when Greg's mouth dropped open.

"Oh shit,_ I'm so sorry_. I totally destroyed your day," Greg wailed, looking down. Tony looked between Loki and Greg.

"Dude, you look like a kicked puppy. I'd figure this guy would look like that if his day was ruined," the billionaire mused, jerking a thumb at Loki.

"I disagree. It was not a complete waste, for I am sure the museum will still remain for another day," the god answered, trying to console Greg with his tone. Loki kept his face neutral. "I forgive you this time."

Tony watched as Greg's head snapped up, a million-watt smile gracing his face. "You're quickly becoming my best friend, Lance. Better chill out."

Loki snorted but said nothing, sipping at his water. Tony pointed back and forth between them. "So you two just met?"

"Yeah, I'll let Lance tell it. I'm gonna drop these plates in dish," Greg said, standing up. He stacked everything and was walking away before Loki could protest. Loki could feel Tony's weighty gaze on him, and cleared his throat.

"I am not from here, and thus was exploring. Gregory caught me unawares, and quite literally _barreled_ me into traffic."

"So the guy almost _killed_ you yesterday, and now you're best buds?" Tony laughed and shook his head. Loki scoffed.

"Not precisely. Gregory alludes to us being quite close, but as you can see it is merely an assumption. He knows nothing of me," Loki answered defensively. Once the words left his mouth, he felt saddened by the realization. Greg really did know nothing about Loki, nor would he ever. The mortal seemed to trust and care for him, but yet he had already destroyed anything before it could begin.

Tony picked up on Loki's drop in tone. He instinctively reached over and grabbed Loki's shoulder. The god jumped, too caught up in his thoughts to notice the movement. He turned his wide green eyes onto Tony.

The Avenger felt himself pinned. He honestly didn't know why he reached out to the lithe man, and didn't really know how to voice that, either. "Sorry, I don't really know why I did that," the genius grinned. "But you looked like you needed it." Straight forward, as always. He squeezed Loki's shoulder, flashing a reassuring smile.

Loki blinked owlishly at the billionaire. He did not understand the sentiment either, but felt his stomach flip. He quickly shrugged out of the touch, spying Greg heading back. Loki adverted his gaze from Tony as much as possible, feeling somewhat calmed by his friend's nearing presence. The god slid out of Greg's side of the booth and walked towards the bar.

"Go ahead and get behind the bar, Lance. Some of the girls are here, so that means dinner will start soon," the man said. He had a bottle that he had shown Loki was sanitizer, and began to spray the table. "Tony, you can take a seat at the bar if you'd like! I'll be all over the place so I won't be able to talk much, but Lance is staying in the well for his training so you can sit by him!"

"Sure thing, bud," Tony smirked, sliding out of the booth. Loki felt his heart drop when he heard what his post would be, and that Tony would be right there all night. Granted this was the ultimate goal of his plan, but Loki felt extremely unprepared. This was going against his original set pace; he knew, for his own sanity, that he needed to be as confident as always - and _fast_.

Loki lifted the half door into the bar, walking down to the far end. This was the area closest to the stage, where all the drinks for the house were picked up. Tony chose the seat right in front of the well, setting his sunglasses down gingerly. Loki watched Greg over the mortal's shoulder. He would not break the silence.

Tony was totally okay with doing that for him.

"This is your first day," Tony said.

"Correct," Loki answered.

"Would you like me to quiz you?"

"Would you like me to poison your liquors?" Loki replied smoothly; he absolutely could without much attention. Tony's eyebrow rose. He brought his glass to his lips, smirking.

"You're not much of a people person, either, I take it?"

"Correct again," Loki allowed a sly smile to his features. "You may deserve a prize at this rate." Tony let out a small chuckle.

"What would my prize be?"

"Not to be poisoned," the god answered, smirking. Before Tony could reply, a machine whirred to Loki's right. He looked over, seeing a ticket shoot out. He plucked it gently, reading the drink. His brows furrowed in thought. When he looked up, Greg was leaning over the well from the outside.

"Whatcha got, Lance?" He asked, snatching the ticket before Loki could answer. Loki snapped his mouth shut, feeling instantly annoyed. "Oh, a Long Island. Easy as hell. Okay, start from your right and grab the first bottle."

Tony watched the pair over the rim of his glass. Greg was instructing his pupil, bottle by bottle, measurement by measurement, all the while his eyes never leaving Loki's face. He had his chin resting on his fist in a relaxed lean, not helping his already exhausted expression. Loki seemed to not notice Greg's stare, focused too intently on the instructions. Tony did though, and something about it didn't sit quite right. Perhaps he was only imagining things, but despite Greg's cheerful and friendly manner, there was something predatory in his eyes. Tony took another swig, trying to drown his confusing urge to protect his new acquaintance.

Something told Tony that despite the man's thin form, he didn't need a whole lot of protecting.

Loki finished the drink, squeezing a lemon over the top. He looked up at Greg expectantly.

The man was literally beaming. "Gosh, Lance - your first drink! Dude, I'm super proud of you. Flawless execution, and the Coke float looks nice and even. I think I'm gonna cry," Greg teased, dabbing his eyes for show. Loki rolled his eyes, sliding the drink over. Greg grabbed it and a straw. "Taste test?"

"Pardon?" Loki narrowed his eyes. "Was all that for naught?"

"Well, I wouldn't stay that. You learned the process and reacted in real time; plus, now we get a free drink!" Greg stuck the straw in and stirred before taking a long draw. "But I did ring the drink in. You did a good job, Lance. Now try it so you can sell it!"

The god frowned, all trace of mirth from his slight word duel with the Iron Man gone. Tony watched Loki snatch the glass back, pressing the straw to his lips and matching Greg's sip. Loki didn't swallow; in fact, he glanced briefly at Tony, his eyes glinting mischievously, before spewing the cocktail back in Greg's face through the straw.

"_Holy shit!_" Tony barked, slapping a hand over his mouth to contain his laughter. Greg's face scrunched up from impact, making his bangs stick to his forehead. He pressed his lips together slowly, blowing out droplets of sour mix. Loki couldn't stop his full grin from taking over. When Tony's loud laughter reached his ears, he couldn't control himself.

Greg blinked slowly, looking between his so-called friend and hero. Loki had nearly doubled over and was bracing against the bar; Tony was pounding the bar top with one hand and holding his gut with the other. Greg honestly couldn't stay mad - it _was_ a good prank.

"Man, your face was _priceless_. Completely worth it," Tony said, dabbing his eyes as little giggles still escaped him. Loki had covered his mouth, trying to stifle the remaining chuckles, but nodded in agreement.

"_I'm sure_," Greg rolled his eyes, reaching for a clean towel next to the ticket printer. Loki had gotten himself under control and passed the towel over.

"In consolation," Loki said, clearing his throat. "It tasted quite well."

Greg answered by throwing the towel in Loki's face. The action set Loki and Tony into giggle fits again; Greg tossed his hands up, walking away and mumbling under his breath, "_Fucking kids_." (_Of all people to judge_, Tony thought.)

Tony regained composure first, running his hand through his already mussed hair. He watched Loki push his glasses up onto his forehead and rub his eyes, a wide grin still adorning his lips. "Oh my," Loki said, sliding down his glasses and turning his wide emerald eyes to Tony. "That was _beautiful_."

"You did good," Tony agreed, nodding. Their eyes caught for a moment, both still coming down from the high of the prank. Loki's grin had relaxed into a soft smile, his eyes shining ridiculously bright. Tony's own expression softened as well; he began drinking in every ounce of the image before him.

Tony figured that the man behind the bar wasn't exactly very open, which he based off of the previous conversation about Greg. Despite their playful banter, Tony wondered if there would be a time for complete honestly. Tony knew that game well enough - hide behind a cocky attitude and an even cockier tongue. Still, the urge to get to know the newbie bartender that Tony had been battling all night came back full force when those impossible bright green eyes turned on him with that breathless smile; a small glimpse into what he could be like being _himself_. Tony wondered what he would look like when his hair was down, too.

Loki noticed Tony's intent staring. He almost felt like he was being picked apart and catalogued. Strangely enough, the thought didn't bother him as much as it should have, given his current agenda. He may have held the pose a bit longer than necessary, but he wasn't counting.

Again, they were interrupted by the ticket printer. Loki tore his eyes from the genius before him to read the ticket. It was another Long Island, which he set about making as quickly as possible. He cursed that the moment had been interrupted; but the night was still young and according to his assumption, Tony had a lot more alcohol to consume.

But it seemed the night had other plans for the trio. Greg was pulled out onto the floor much more frequently than they had expected. He would try to walk Loki through the steps as well as he could before Phil the Bouncer was pulling him over to break up some disagreement. Loki made sure to always keep Tony's glass full, but the billionaire was still coherent enough to help Loki with recipes he had not yet learned. Loki accepted the help without a word, nodding an occasional thanks. Several moments passed before Greg popped up suddenly, eyes frantic.

"Okay, so me and Phil have to throw this guy out for trying to take pictures in the special rooms in the back. Apparently he was hiding out and slipping in _behind_ whoever went into the window rooms. I'll be back soon!" Greg supplied, barely giving Loki time to nod before he was gone. Tony hardly passed a glance at the man, keeping his eyes on Loki. Another ticket popped up; the god grabbed it before slapping it down on the well window. He opened the glass cooler, pulling out a fresh pint glass, and turned to the Bud Light draft tap.

Loki pulled down on the handle, turning the glass at an angle. The beer flow stuttered before halting all together, the tap making loud gasping noises. Loki frowned, turning his face to get a better look.

"I think your keg just blew," Tony said just as the tap sputtered once more, foam coating the side of Loki's face. The god coughed, setting the glass down and turning away sharply.

"That tastes _terrible_," he groaned, ignoring Tony's laugh behind him. Loki wiped his face quickly, trying to remember what Greg had said about kegs. He opened the cooler door beneath the taps, spying the one labeled Bud Light. Loki grabbed and pulled the metal barrel out, noticing another behind it. Good, there was a back up - which would only help if Loki could remember how to get the damn tap off to start with.

"Do you know how to tap a keg?" Tony asked, picking up on the hesitation. Loki turned his face towards the genius with a blank expression.

"I honestly cannot remember the steps," he almost whispered. Tony heard him, though.

"Okay, first pull the lever out and up, then twist and lift." Loki nodded, following the directions quickly. He had the tap free and was pushing the empty barrel away with his foot. Loki was surprised by the weight of the new keg when he tried to pull it forward, stopping only a second for better leverage. Once it was out, Tony continued: "Now do the same only in reverse. Line up the threads, and then push the lever in."

Another few tickets had popped up, distracting Loki momentarily. It was enough, though. Somehow, Loki had pushed down on the lever while still trying to line up the threads. The tap locked in, spraying beer up in a foamy fountain. Loki yelped, surprised by the sudden rush of foam into his mouth and face. Franticly he unlocked and reset the tap, charging his fingers with a little bit of magic to help push the keg back into place. Loki growled in irritation, slamming the cooler door shut with less force than he would have liked.

Loki leaned against the back bar top, gasping and rubbing his face with the towel. His hair and shirt were soaked, his face already felt sticky, and his glasses were still dripping beer. Loki hated the world at that moment (more so than he already did), and felt he may just throttle the next mortal who spoke to him.

"That happened to me my first time, too." Too bad the first mortal was Tony. Loki took a deep breath, trying to contain his anger, before glaring at the mortal.

"Oh, is that _so_?" He hissed, leaking out as much venom into his tone as he could.

"Oh yeah, it was a nightmare. You handled it much better," Tony said. He smiled brightly at Loki. "Good job."

Somehow the phrase coming from Tony held much more weight than when Greg had said it merely an hour ago. Loki blinked, feeling his anger dissipate by the sentiment. Once again Loki was reminded of how much of an enigma Tony Stark was - only now, the god also had to analyze his own strange reactions to the mortal.

Realizing that they were settling into the same trance-like stare from before, Loki ducked his head and picked up the pint to finish his pour. "Thank you."

Loki watched Tony wave his hand in dismissal in the mirror. Tony managed to lock eyes with Loki's reflection and smiled, "My pleasure."

Loki hastily turned back to the well, feeling heat raise in his cheeks. The realization of being five orders behind helped distract him from his thoughts.

Tony continued to help instruct Loki in drinks he didn't know as Loki spun and flipped around bottles. The lights in the club flashed different colors periodically; Loki managed to time the flashes of green to his magics, moving quicker to work through the load. Finally, after an entire half hour after the keg incident, Loki was entirely caught up with Tony's help. He leaned back, a soft, proud smile of overcoming the rush adorned his face.

"I have no idea how you were able to see what you were doing," Tony said.

"_Hmmm?_" Loki felt slightly out of breath, looking over at the Avenger.

"Your glasses are still covered in beer," the genius observed. Loki blinked, pulling back some of his magic from the glasses. He very suddenly couldn't see anything.

"I barely noticed," Loki said. He turned away from Tony to take his glasses off, knowing he would be immediately recognized. Loki untucked his black button down, using a dry bit of the cloth charged with magic to wipe the glass free. Satisfied, he replaced his glasses and turned around.

Tony was still smiling, his fingers interlaced on top of the bar around his glass. "Better?"

"Yes," Loki answered, feeling his throat grow dry from the sudden charge of Tony's aura.

"You kept up well. You're still a newbie, but I think you'll be fine in time," the billionaire said. Despite baring witness to his obvious mistakes and follies (which Loki was absolutely _not_ pleased with), Tony was still willing to extend praise and encouragement. Loki briefly wondered if the man would ever cease to pique his curiosity.

Loki smiled his thanks, crossing his arms over his chest. "Would you be willing to check on your prediction?"

"From time to time," Tony smirked, downing the rest of his drink. "If you haven't moved on to bigger and better things. But I move around a lot myself, so I may find you again, bartender." Loki held his hand out for Tony's glass, needing the brief distraction. Tony passed the glass over, brushing his fingertips against Loki's palm.

Loki added fresh ice to the glass and measured out another portion of Glenlivet. He passed the glass to Tony's outstretched hand, brushing fingers again.

"Hey guys!" Greg announced, lifting up the half door. Loki looked over, pulling his hand back. "I'm so, _so_ sorry. We had the Peeping Tom arrested, so everything is all good now. How was it here?"

"Well, Noob here changed his first keg!" Tony grinned, ducking his head at Loki's death glare.

"_No way!_" Greg whipped his head to face Loki, his jaw hanging open.

"You look surprised," Loki huffed.

"All alone?"

"Yeah, that's what that smell is," Tony chimed in. Loki glared at him again.

"Oh Lance, that's _fantastic!_" Loki had had a feeling this would end in some type of contact, but even he was surprised to suddenly be lifted into the air by an incredibly large bear hug. Greg had latched onto his middle, lifting and pulling Loki to him. The god hissed, bracing his open palms on his friend's shoulders.

"_Dammit, Gregory!_" Loki snapped. Greg swung him gently, making Loki's still soaked ponytail smack the mortal in the face when Loki tried to lift himself up and out of the embrace. He was now a full six inches from the floor, making Loki a solid ten inches over the man. Short people should not try to lift a Frost Giant. "_Put me down this instant!_"

"I'm sorry! I'm just so excited for you!" Greg grinned sheepishly, setting Loki down gently. Loki pushed himself away, smoothing down his shirt and frowning deeply.

"I understand and am appreciative, but _not_ acceptable," Loki growled. He felt his face redden from shame. Tony had seen quite a few blunders for the night, and now Loki being manhandled and touched with such familiarity was added to the list. He looked over at the man discreetly under his lashes. Tony had his eyes fixed on Greg, staring much like one would when faced with a grand adversary or challenge. He held a fixed smile, but his eyes were extremely analytical. Another emotion darkened his irises to deep brown from the usual honey, one which Loki was familiar with but did not wear often - _jealousy_.

"Won't happen again," Greg said, scratching the back of his head. Loki looked back at him, confused from the emotional battle he had witnessed on Tony's face. Greg saw his expression and assumed it was because of him. "I promise," he said with intense sincerity.

"It is forgiven," Loki said slowly, earning yet another bright smile from Greg. The god flicked his gaze between the two mortals before him - Greg beaming like a madman, and Tony fighting his own emotions in an interesting display. The aura around the three of them was quite heavy, with Loki trapped in the center. He didn't exactly know how to proceed (emotions weren't exactly his area of expertise), but knew there was a shift of something he had missed. Or couldn't control.

What in all the Realms was happening around him?

The rest of the shift was fairly simple, dotted with light conversation and banter. Loki kept a close eye on Tony, but the mortal never let his mask slip again. He and Greg carried on behind Loki each time he turned to the well, swapping stories and jokes. Nothing Tony said tonight was of consequence, which irritated Loki immensely. Still, Loki was able to detect a slight level of discomfort, proving Tony was not as comfortable as the night before. The mortal had also slowed down on his drinking. He doubted it was his own fault - everything had been moving quite well until Greg had returned.

When one-thirty rolled around, Tony called in his tab. Loki turned to the touch screen computer (he had been utterly thrilled to get his hands on a piece of Midgardian technology) to ring in Tony's last round and print the ticket. Tony had been Loki's only patron. Greg had handled the rest, wanting Loki to have as much experience as he could with making the drinks. It had helped, giving Loki the ability to break through the awkward initial meeting; he still didn't know what had caused Tony's drooped shoulders from the night before, but felt confident he would earn the right.

Loki passed the slip over. Tony pushed it back without a glance and handed Loki his credit card directly, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "Don't need the paper trail. I trust you."

"So freely?" Loki couldn't stop himself from asking, lifting an eyebrow. He wrapped his fingers gently around the plastic card, feeling the raise of the letters beneath his fingertips.

"Hey if you can't trust your bartender, who can you trust?" The mortal said with a shrug and smirk. Loki just nodded, turning to run the card. When he turned back, Tony was shaking the last bit of scotch and ice into his mouth.

"Always good to the last drop!" Tony smirked, scooping up the pen and pulling the slip over. When he began crunching ice between his teeth, Loki flinched.

"What a _horrendous_ habit," Loki scoffed. Tony looked up.

"Scotch?"

"Crushing ice with teeth," he answered. Tony smirked, signing his name with a flourish.

"I'll just suck it, then, _Princess_." Tony pushed the paper back, taking up his glass. He had missed a few melted cubes, which he promptly added to the collection in his mouth. Tony raised his eyebrows in amusement at Loki, holding his hands out in surrender. Loki couldn't help but chuckle at the billionaire with puffed cheeks and wide eyes before him.

Shaking his head, Loki grabbed the slip. When he turned away, he heard loud crunching; Loki spun around quickly, but Tony was looking to the side, lips twisted and eyebrows raised in an act of nonchalance. Loki narrowed his eyes, but turned back to the machine to close out the check. He heard more crunching with each tap of the screen.

"_Seriously!?_" Loki hissed, spinning suddenly. Tony blinked in surprise, shaking his head.

"What?"

"_Your crunching of ice!_"

"What ice?" Loki stared at him. It was another game; Tony was smiling innocently, hands folded together on the bar top. Loki was pleased that the mortal's aura had relaxed again once Greg had dipped into the kitchen, enough to actually be playful. Loki felt his irritation dissipate.

"Indeed," Loki answered, smirking slightly. He finished the last few taps in the screen, causing the register beneath it to open. Once the closed check was carefully placed inside, Loki shut it and gave Tony his finalized receipt.

"So what are your plans after this?" Tony asked, pointedly looking at his wallet as he folded the receipt. He would look anywhere but at the man before him.

"I... Greg says we will be done around two thirty," Loki answered slowly. He felt taken aback by the question, but answered as best as he could. What was the billionaire getting at?

"That's not too bad," Tony answered, looking up with a smile. "I know the last time you ate was when I ate, which was forever ago. If I'm hungry, you must be _starving_. Would you want to go somewhere when you're done closing?"

Loki blinked, thinking carefully. He would be alone with Stark, without Greg's strange influence on the man. He wasn't as inebriated as the night before; in fact, he seemed quite coherent. Loki felt the odds were in his favor to help with his plan. If anything, maybe he would learn the reason for Stark's odd aura around Loki's new friend.

"I would be honored," Loki answered. Tony flashed a triumphant, million-watt smile. Loki felt his stomach flip again at the obvious joy on the man's face. It seemed even the slightest anything from Loki could get a positive reaction out of both of his mortal acquaintances. The thought brought a small smile; in such short time he had affected both so much, whereas over a millennia he could barely coax so much as a glance from his own so called family. "I will begin closing early as not to keep you long."

Tony's smile never left his face; he simply nodded, settling into his stool. Loki milled about mimicking what he had seen Greg do the night before - refill and cap the juice containers, washing and rinsing the mixing tins, and just cleaning everything. Greg came out with an ice bucket and whatever stock he saw was needed, but left Loki to close alone primarily. When Loki was on the last step - cleaning the speed rack and wiping all the bottles - a heavy rock song filled the void from the club's silent speakers.

"Ah shit, sorry. My phone," Tony said, reaching into his pocket. He frowned at the device. "It's Pepper. What the hell could she want at this hour?" He slid his finger across the screen, bringing it to his ear. "I'm busy, Pep."

Loki snorted - sitting in an empty and closed establishment waiting on the closing bartender could hardly count as busy.

Tony drummed his fingers on the counter, his frown deepening in annoyance. "Why can't _you_ handle it? _You're_ co-CEO," he whined, earning another snort from Loki. Tony flicked his eyes over to Loki, grinning sheepishly. Something on the other side of the call pulled the man's attention. "They're _asking_ for _me_. I don't believe you. Why would someone request to speak to _me_? I'm a hermit."

Loki wanted very badly to hear the full conversation, but pretended to not listen (too intently). He was done wiping the bottles and was now placing little paper cones over the quick pour spouts.

"Fine, fine. I'll be there soon," Tony resigned, rubbing his eyes with his free hand. "Yup, yup, _yup_. Okay, _Mom!_" He set the phone down in more aggregation than he meant to, moving his hand to stroke his goatee. "Hey, Lance."

"Yes?"

"I know we _literally_ just made plans, but I have some Japanese guys wanting to buy some tech and only want to speak to me, for _some_ damn reason. They're waiting for me on teleconference, so I have to head out," Tony said, letting out a long sigh. Loki schooled his features carefully to hide his sudden disappointment.

"I understand," he said simply. For some reason, he did not trust his voice to _not_ give his honest feeling away. Tony ran his hand up to the side of his face, leaning against it.

"Promise you're not mad?"

Loki tilted his head in confusion, but actually thought about it. "I...promise."

"Good!" Tony said, clapping his hands together suddenly. Loki blinked. "When are you here again?"

Greg had come back, surveying Loki's handiwork. Loki looked to the man for confirmation. "Tomorrow, yes?" Greg looked up and nodded. "Tomorrow, then," Loki finalized. He noticed he had missed Tony's glass and reached for it. Tony gently wrapped his fingers around Loki's wrist. Loki froze, their eyes catching.

"Tomorrow, then," Tony whispered, his honey eyes searching warmly. His fingers were gentle and callous against Loki's inner wrist. "Rain check?" All Loki could do was nod, feeling suddenly, very warm and tingly. Tony smiled softly and gave his wrist a light squeeze, slipping off the stool. "See you soon. _Adios_, Greg!"

"Bye!" Loki watched Greg wave frantically at the genius. Tony laughed and matched his enthusiasm, which quite simply made Greg's day. The billionaire shook his head with a smile and pulled out his mobile. With one last look at Loki, he slid on his sunglasses and headed towards the door. Loki heard Tony's voice even from the door, but what he said was drowned out by the roar of the car engine the god remembered from the night before.

Loki still watched long after the door had shut behind the man; slowly he began to wash the glass. He felt lost in his own thoughts, marveling at his disappointment at the cancelation of the impromptu meeting. After the evening's follies, the exchange of minimal information in a different setting had highly appealed to Loki. Perhaps he was fortunate that Stark had been called to work; the god now had some time to chart what he had gleaned thus far.

Greg's hand on his shoulder brought Loki back to the present. "You in there, Lance?"

"Quite, actually," he answered, turning his face towards Greg. "Is there anything more that I may have neglected?"

"Nah, buddy! You did an awesome job," the man answered, giving two thumbs up. "I knew you'd be good at this, even if you didn't ask me to teach you."

"I thank you for your confidence," Loki answered with a tiny quirk of his lips, still too caught in thought for a proper smirk. Greg gave him a questioning look, which Loki ignored. "I shall see you tomorrow, then?"

"Oh, yeah. Absolutely. Uh, come in around three thirty," Greg said. "Do you want to walk out together? Actually, I just realized I have no clue where you live."

"Approximately a twenty minute walk," Loki lied. Greg blew his cheeks out.

"I regrettably retract my offer to walk; that's way too far. I live, like, around the corner. How about we walk out the door together?" He said sheepishly. Loki snorted at him, smirking. Greg was a surprisingly good friend (mostly).

Greg surveyed the club, shutting off the last few lights. Loki waited by the door, feeling extremely sticky from the beer. Without the Iron Man as a distraction, the after effects of the keg explosion was becoming quite bothersome.

Greg came back, walking out with Loki. After giving the door a push and locking it, Greg clipped the keys to his belt loop and turned towards Loki. "I'm this way," he said, jerking his thumb over his shoulder. "You sure you don't want me to call a cab or something?"

"No need," Loki shook his head. "I will be quite safe. Sleep well, Gregory." Greg nodded, holding his hand out. Loki looked down, hesitating a moment, before agreeing to the handshake.

"Again, good job tonight. I look forward to tomorrow!" Greg beamed. "Good night, Lance."

They turned, parting for the night. Loki leaked out a thread of magic, marking Greg. Once he was sure the mortal was well away, he closed his eyes and willed himself across town. When he opened his eyes, Loki was standing in his living room.

The god sighed, cracking his neck. His magic leaked out freely, helping lighten Loki's stress. The night had been quite an ordeal. He looked at the hand Greg had taken and frowned. He recalled the feel of Greg's touch and compared it to Tony.

Greg was a bundle of nerves and energy, transferring that to anything he touched; the man was overly excited at best of times. Loki felt energized by the over friendliness in his aura, but the transfer by touch was annoying to say the least. Loki felt his wrist tingle - the energy from Stark had been nearly the exact opposite. It was calming and intelligent, calculating and warm. Given this wonderful combination, Loki was not surprised that the mortal drew so many in without much effort. Even he could still feel the lingering effects. It was because of this aura, Loki mused, that the god had been so disappointed by not spreading more time with the man. His simple presence seemed intoxicating.

Loki's plan was very much still in motion. There had been (many) hiccups, but Loki felt confident at being on course. He needed solitude to unearth the strange effects Tony's startling aura caused, but he also needed more time with the man to analyze him as a whole and acquire his secrets.

Loki sighed - everything was hand in hand, it seemed. He decided today had not been a total failure but not the gain he required. However, tomorrow was another day.

But Loki most definitely wanted a shower before then.

* * *

_**A/N: Thank you all for you patience. I actually had some issues uploading this (which was hella annoying) but the finalized product is up! I hope to have another chapter around Easter; I'll be stuck at the bar with not a soul in sight. So thrilled. **_

_**I thought about cutting this one off around the keg explosion, but figured the longer the better! Next chapter will be from Tony's perspective. Leave your love and reviews! :3**_


	5. Don't Deserve To Be Discovered

**_A/N: Thank you all so very much for your patience! I've gotten caught up in my two jobs, and the holiday ended up being a bit more grueling than anticipated. Thanks again for all the continued support! And now, the adventure continues!_**

* * *

"JARVIS, pull up," Tony Stark growled into his mobile, suddenly not in a good mood. He was agonizingly annoyed at having to work, increasingly irritated at having to leave his new acquaintance to _work_, and positively pissed that his plans to move said acquaintance from 'Just Met' to 'Getting to Know' was interrupted by _work_.

Sounds like he just needed to quit.

JARVIS had the Corvette waiting by the front before the door to the club even closed. Tony's once smiling lips were pressed into a very thin white line when he swung into the open driver side door. He snatched the seat belt over his chest before rubbing his face with a sigh.

"Have a good evening?" JAVIS asked, the hydraulics puffing when the automatic door shut.

"I _did_, until Pepper called," Tony groaned. The AI put the car in drive, pulling out smoothly.

"Ah, about the teleconference. Miss Potts attempted to contact you at Avenger Tower primarily." The AI's voice helped to soothe Tony, but his animosity was still lingering.

"Ugh, seriously? You patched her _through_?"

"Indeed, sir. She claimed utmost importance."

"Your timing is impeccable, JARVIS," Tony scoffed, dropping his hands from his face. "If I didn't know better, I would think the two of you were in cahoots."

"Pardon me, sir."

"Yeah, yeah. Warn me next time, okay?" Staying mad at JARVIS didn't ever solve anything; Tony never could stay mad, anyway.

"Absolutely, sir."

Silence took over, leaving Tony to his thoughts. The drive to _Slinky_ wasn't exactly short, being clear across New York from the tower. The billionaire marveled at how he managed to find it to begin with. The call from Pepper had reminded him how long he had been there, quite nearly nine hours. Those were nine hours very well spent, if you asked him.

Tony closed his eyes, laying his head back. The exhaustion of his break up with Pepper had died very early in the evening, almost by the time he set foot in the doorway of _Slinky_. The solidity of his feelings helped finalize that he had made the right decision in ending things. He almost felt poetic about being back with the bartender he had lamented to. It was pretty sweet of Greg to offer to share his lunch, but Tony had been a bit more interested in the company.

Lance Norse seemed super secretive and emotionless by default; like the type who wouldn't answer a question directly unless it was phrased to his liking, and still wouldn't be entirely honest. Tony could read people better than he cared to admit, but he couldn't catch a blip on this new guy. He carried himself with such intense bravado that even Tony had to admire - and with good reason. The foreigner looked like he stepped off of a magazine cover; over six feet tall, trim waist, obviously lean muscles (he threw that keg around like it was nobody's business), skin as clear and pale as marble, and the deepest pair of emerald eyes Tony had ever seen. They seemed illuminated in an ethereal light all their own. The billionaire had (discreetly) stared for hours and never caught a single emotion. Except when Greg picked him up - the blatant look of rage so scantily concealed gave Tony chills.

Tony always admired beauty, regardless of it's transport. It never really came up, what with him parading around gorgeous women the majority of his life, but Tony wasn't picky. Whoever caught his attention he usually pursued. Not many men _could_ catch the genius' attention, but Tony felt safe in saying that the newbie bartender had done so quite well without even breaking a sweat.

Tony regretted not noticing the man properly the night before, but knew he wouldn't have been in the right mind frame to so much as say hello let alone ask for a date. He briefly wondered if he should feel guilty for flipping from Pepper so soon. Tony opened his eyes, blinking.

He didn't feel guilty at all. Yet another sign that he had given up on her long ago. She would still be there, of course, most likely rooting him on in his next conquest. Tony should have known sooner that friendship and family was where she belonged. He hated that he hurt her because of his own stupidity.

Tony smiled softly, picturing Pepper in a cheerleading outfit complete with pom-poms. He decided he needed a reason to see that in real life.

"We have arrived, sir."

"Thanks, JARVIS. You've got some serious driving skills," Tony said, unbuckling himself. He scratched his neck, stretching back. "All right. Time to do this!"

Tony swung himself out of the car, ducking under the door. He paused, listening to the door shut. "Hey, JARVIS?"

"Yes, sir?"

Tony smirked, sneaking a step towards the elevator. He waited until he was in the elevator and pressing buttons before speaking, "Race ya!"

"As always, sir." Was it sad to say JARVIS was his best friend?

Minutes later, Tony jumped out of the barely open door, grinning widely and looking around the room. "Ah ha! JARVIS, I've won again!"

"Congratulations, sir. That will be the third time this week," the AI replied smoothly.

"You're too good to me, JARVIS. Maybe I'll let you win next time," Tony smirked, setting his sunglasses by the key rack. He felt better when he talked things out with JARVIS, regardless of what it was. A second brain to pick, so to speak. Or another motherboard or whatever.

"Tony! Where on earth have you been!?" Of course Pepper was waiting for him. She strutted around the kitchen counter, leaving behind a mug of coffee. "You _knew_ about this."

"Sorry, I was busy," he shrugged, not at all sorry. Tony knew he still had that grin on that Pepper knew all too well as his 'new discovery but it's a secret' face. He imagined she would ask later, but was otherwise preoccupied.

"You don't have time to explain yourself _yet_, but you will be doing so later. Christ, you smell like _booze_..." Her fussing about straightening his shirt slowed. Pepper blinked at him, a small frown settling onto her pretty mouth. Tony watched the disappointment spread in her eyes like wild fire. She had tried so hard to keep him sober, and right after their official (long time coming) separation he went straight to the bar. What did she expect, really?

"I'll try not to breathe too heavily in their faces," Tony said, winking at her. Some anxiety left Pepper's expression, coaxing her fingers around his collar again.

"A Black Sabbath shirt isn't exactly dress code, you know," she mumbled, fighting a grin. Tony flashed one of his wonderfully blinding smiles at her.

"Good thing they're talking to the guy who makes the dress code, then," Tony winked again, brushing her fingers away. "So conference room, then?"

Pepper's heels clacked on the tile as the pair walked from the kitchen to the short hallway. As much as Tony didn't want to include a conference room in his tower layout, Pepper and (very much alive!?) Agent Coulson had convinced him to add one during the inevitable rebuilding after Loki's attempted tyranny and tantrum. They reached the glass door to the plush room.

The table down the center was a deep cherry wood table, lined with bright sterling silver inlay. The chairs were the softest posturepedics money could buy, all modern silver with black cushions. The Avengers and Pepper thought he had gone a little overboard with the lavish atmosphere of the room, but he promptly reminded them whose tower they were standing in and they'd thank him later anyway, _thank you very much_.

Tony sank into the chair closest to the door, folding his arms over the table. Pepper sat gently to his right, crossing her legs under the table. "JARVIS, pull up connection, please."

A transparent screen, much like those he used in his workshop, projected from the center of the table. A small loading bar appeared at its center, making Pepper fuss about with her hair and blouse.

"Calm down, princess," he quipped.

"One of us has to look good, at least," she shot back, raising an eyebrow.

"Miss Potts bares a point, sir."

"JARVIS, _again_, seriously!" Pepper's laugh echoed brightly.

"Connection established, sir."

"Patch through," Tony grumbled. "Stand by for possible translations." He pressed a button under the table, popping up a hidden tray. Inside were earplug communicators with a direct line to JARVIS. He took out two and passed one to Pepper. Both had the coms in and ready when the screen lit up.

There were three smartly dressed men sitting in a line. The one on the left was very young, barely eighteen, leading Tony to assume him would be doing a lot of the talking. On the far right sat the son of the man in the middle, which Tony could tell from obvious similar facial features. The best was the man in the middle - he looked just like Mr. Miyagi, causing the billionaire to snort quietly. Pepper caught it, throwing him a glare.

"Good evening, Mr. Stark," the man on the left said in nearly flawless English.

"Hey, 'morning!" Tony smiled, waving a hand. "This is Miss Pepper Potts, co-CEO of my little company."

"Ah yes, we have spoken many times by phone," he smiled shyly, directing his attention to her. "Your beauty exceeds your reputation." Pepper smiled back, turning away from a blush; Tony rolled his eyes.

"Kaito!" Kaito jumped, turning to the man by his side.

"My apologies; Mr. Stark, Miss Potts, this is my grandfather, Tenchi Tohru, head of Tenchi Industries. Beside him, my father, Tenchi Asuka." Both men nodded with their introductions.

"Pleasure," Tony said. He was beginning to feel impatient once he officially knew who they were. "We've conducted quite a bit with you in the past, namely when my father was still alive."

"Yes, that is why we have called this meeting," Kaito said. He paused, looking towards his grandfather. "Or, rather, why Grandfather has. There were some..._technologies_ your father was developing before his passing for Grandfather."

"So the reason you needed to see me was to hunt down these plans?" Tony supplied. He did not like cleaning up after Howard, and especially did _not_ like the paths that took him down.

Kaito looked to his grandfather again. The man seemed to sit up straighter, but spoke, "You are correct, Anthony."

"So wanna tell me what I'm looking for before I agree to anything?" Pepper shot him another look, but said nothing. Miyagi's lips thinned, telling Tony he did _not_ want to be having any type of conversation about whatever he was missing - especially with him and not his father.

"The blueprints of the reactor in your chest. It was not originally drawn up as a source of unlimited clean energy," Tohru said. His English wasn't as clean as Kaito, but Tony could keep up. "It was for a plasmatic amplifier, compact enough to be concealed and carried by hand, but much more powerful and efficient than a simple taser gun or tear gas."

"Uh, he was making you a ray gun? _Seriously?_" Tony threw his hands up. "No, nope. Not happening. I'm not in the weapons business anymore, guys."

"You do not call that metal suit a weapon?" Asuka chose then to throw in his two cents. Which only fueled Tony's spark of anger.

"I'm a fucking _super hero_, buddy. I save lives and whatnot." Pepper stomped his foot under that table, but Tony didn't stop. "I'm not my father; I'm done making shit that hurts the world. Call me if you need water purification or trees planted. I'm out." Tony stood up, pushing back from the table. He could hear the old man cursing him quietly in Japanese, which JARVIS quickly amplified and translated. He stopped at a particularity salty phrase and turned back to the screen, hand on the door. "Make sure the next time you call me a cock sucking American fuck, your eighteen year old grandson isn't sitting next to you. _Wax off, Miyagi._"

Tony could hear every word even without JARVIS patching them through to his communicator, long after he had taken the earpiece out and was flopping onto the couch. He sighed, deciding his wonderful mood from hours ago felt like years ago now.

"Hey." Tony jumped, spinning wildly towards the voice.

Steve Rogers stood in the kitchen, leaning against the counter with a bowl of Frosted Flakes in his hand. When Tony didn't respond, he brought a spoonful to his mouth and began to chew slowly.

"How long have you been there?" Tony finally asked.

"Around the 'I'm a super hero' bit."

"So ten minutes?"

"Yeah, sounds 'bout right."

"Christ, Captain. Every time I turn around, I can't escape my father. There's always some pile of shit to clean or some ass to kiss because of what he did or didn't do," Tony groaned. "Now Pepper is going to be pissed that I left her in there to deal with it."

On cue, Pepper's heels echoed down the hall briskly. She wasn't walking.

"_Anthony Stark!_" She barked, coming around the corner. Tony watched Steve slowly sink to sit behind the counter, out of sight.

"Smart move, bud," he mumbled, turning and smiling at her. Pepper came closer, eyes blazing.

"What the HELL is wrong with you?" If the whole tower wasn't up, now they were.

"Told you not to let me talk to people," he said, shrugging. "Not my fault." Steve shook his head behind the counter.

"I know it's been a _while_ for you, but were you more drunk than you let on?"

"No, I had a _very_ responsible bartender," Tony said proudly. The thought of Lance helped tip the scales back to feeling better.

"You saw Greg again? _Oops_." Pepper snapped her face towards the kitchen, eyes searching. Tony smirked, extremely glad the attention was off of him for even a second. Steve stood up slowly, mouth full of Flakes. He swallowed and cleared his throat. "Hello, Miss Potts."

"Hello, Steve," Pepper sighed, closing her eyes. She tapped her foot and shifted her weight.

"So. Uh, saw Greg again?" He repeated. Tony's smirk grew.

"He was there, but there was a new guy!"

"Yeah? Cool."

"You'd like him, but he wouldn't like you. You guys should meet; I'm working on it."

"Awesome story, guys. _Really_. Let's rope this in, okay?" Tony looked back at her, not wanting to talk about snooty Japanese guys. All he wanted to do was talk about Lance to anyone who would listen. Right now, it was looking like good ole Captain America.

"That makes no sense," Steve said. He chewed another bite, trying to pretend Pepper wasn't burning holes into the side of his face. "Why should I meet someone who isn't going to like me?"

"He's just not a people person," Tony said, surging on. "But, again, working on it."

"Steve! Shove your food in your mouth and _shut up_," Pepper snapped. Steve gulped, looking like a kicked puppy. "Tony, you focus and _explain yourself._"

"I don't see the problem. We don't sell weapons anymore, and I don't want to get involved. Done," he said, tossing his hands up. "And if I was going to build a fucking _ray_ _gun_, do you really think I'd give it to Japanese guys? They're probably one step away from World Domination with giant robots, and I don't want 'Stark Industries' written on that step."

"A ray gun!?" Steve blurted, cereal spraying from his mouth.

"Yeah bud. Bonafide ray gun, like the Death Star from _Star_ _Wars_." Steve wiped his mouth, suddenly confused. Tony rolled his eyes, waving a hand. "I forgot - we'll watch those soon."

Pepper sighed, her hands on her hips. "I understand and support you. Stark Industries and Tenchi Industries will not be partnering now or in the future. Let's not make it so colorful next time, all right?"

"Good call, but no promises," Tony grinned. Pepper tried to appear angry, but her resolve was cracking.

She narrowed her eyes and bit her lip. "He _did_ look like Miyagi, though..."

"Exactly!" Tony laughed, holding out his hands. "Wax on, wax off, buddy!"

Steve starting laughing with him, pointing his spoon at them. "I know that one!" That got Pepper laughing.

They hung around chuckling, discussing the movie. Steve was extremely excited to talk to someone else about what new knowledge he acquired, and Pepper was her ever patient self and humored everything the man said. Tony watched with a smile, wondering if he should tell Pepper about Lance or not. He couldn't tell if it was too soon on her end, but she seemed well enough to raise hell like usual.

Pepper made the decision herself, saying she needed to catch a flight out to California in an hour. She had only stopped in to make sure Tony took the call.

"It would have been better had you _not_ taken it, I think," she said, grabbing her coat and handbag.

"You know me," Tony said. He had helped himself to some Frosted Flakes when Steve had grabbed a second bowl, taking a large spoonful.

"Yes, that I do," Pepper answered, rolling her eyes. "Good night, super heroes."

"Drive safe," Tony called. She yelled her thanks as the elevator door closed. The pair stood in the kitchen, silent except the occasionally loud crunch. A few more moments passed before the silence was broken.

"So what are you doing up so late?" Tony asked.

"Couldn't sleep," Rogers answered with a shrug. He was about out of cereal now and began to slurp his milk. "You went back to _Slinky_, I take it?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"Pepper and I officially split and I needed another fucking drink," Tony deadpanned. He put his spoon in the sink and turned up the edge of the bowl.

"Oh goodness, Tony. I'm so sorry," Steve said sympathetically. He had set his bowl in the sink next to Tony's spoon and was now facing his friend. "Are you all right?"

Tony finished his milk and stacked the bowl in Steve's. He looked at the ceiling, rubbing his hand over his goatee to rid the leftover milk. After a brief moment, he started nodding. "Yeah, I'm cool. We're both good, actually. It was mutual."

"Well, that answered my next question," the captain said. Tony looked at him out of the corner of his eye. He wanted to tell him more about his thoughts on Lance, but honestly didn't know how the man felt about that sort of thing. Steve was from a much different time with some skewed morals, and Tony had never been obvious about playing for both teams. Tony knew he had to pose the question with the answer right before him to get anywhere with the man; his Science Bro was away, JARVIS was rubbish at this sort of thing, and he desperately wanted someone to talk to, so good ole Captain America would do (again)!

Steve had been looking at him, eyebrows furrowed in worry. Tony blinked and smiled. "I met someone there, Cap."

Steve's eyebrows flew to his hairline. "Oh Tony; not one of those flappers?" He asked, lowering his voice towards the end. Tony really couldn't stop his loud bark of laughter.

"No, no flappers, Stars."

Rogers let out a sigh of relief. "Good; you're better than that, Tony."

"I'm really _not_," Tony chuckled. Steve just glared at him. "Anyway, I'm working on a 'Get to Know' bases because tonight was extremely unnecessarily interrupted," he said, waving his hands.

"Obviously," Steve drawled. He crossed his arms over his chest.

"You're learning sarcasm; good for you," Tony praised, nodding.

"Really? Gosh, I'm honestly trying," Steve said, smiling in relief. Tony blinked. He truly couldn't bring himself to crush the man's hopes. Just his dreams.

"Sure thing, bud. Doing just swell!" Tony grinned, theatrically hooking his arm and clapping the man's shoulder. Tony's grin grew when Steve's face fell. Crushed dreams could be delicious. "I'm jerking your chain, Stars. You really are catching on - slowly, but it's there."

Steve's grin was face splitting. Tony snorted and shook his head, pushing himself away from the counter. "What are the others up to?"

"Clint and Miss Romanov are at headquarters, and you know where Bruce is," Captain said. "Thor hasn't been around lately, but he stopped by today."

"Oh yeah?" Tony asked, flopping back onto the couch. Steve had followed, settling in on the opposite side. "What's Fabio up to?"

"Well, his father seems to have woken from some sort of hibernation so he wanted to come check in here," Steve answered. "The Tesseract is still locked away, nothing new on the alien front, but Thor said he's seemed to have lost his trace on Loki."

Tony frowned, looking over briefly. He had been flipping through his collection of movies and shows, looking for something new to show his friend. "How the hell does he lose Loki all the time? It's like he's a damn cat or something."

"Well, oddly enough, that's how he escaped last time. He can shape shift, apparently. Thor doesn't feel the need to monitor his brother all the time, not since he's served his punishment. Usually he just drops in, but he can't seem to find him. Like he's incognito."

"I could totally see him patrolling New York streets as a cat," Tony chuckled.

"He felt it important to tell us. Granted Loki has been quiet lately, but I'd rather us be safe than sorry," Steve said, his tone darkening. Tony looked over, propping his head up on his fist.

"Aye aye, Captain. I'll keep my eyes peeled for any shifty-eyed lost kitties."

Steve rolled his eyes, propping his feet up on the coffee table. "Just saying!"

"Yeah yeah," Tony waved, looking back at the screen. "How about '_That 70's Show_'? You can learn some serious sarcasm from the Eric kid."

"Yeah, okay. I'm game!" Steve said, grinning.

"JARVIS, loop the episodes until one of us passes out," Tony yawned. "Which will most likely be me, but still."

"Yes, sir."

The opening rolled into the first scene before Steve spoke again. "Are you going back tomorrow?"

"Hmm?" Christ, he was way more exhausted than he thought.

"_Slinky_, going back tomorrow?"

"Oh yeah. Got a date." Tony thought he had managed to distract with a new topic - too tired, apparently.

"Can't expect you to stay down too long," Steve smirked, glancing over.

"You know me!" Tony replied, blinking heavily. "This may be different, though."

"You said that about Pepper."

"Yeah well, I _hoped_ that about her. Different feeling this time."

Tony saw Steve bob his head, turning back to the screen, "Just be happy, Tony."

"Working on it, Cap'n."

Tony's blinking grew heavy halfway into the first episode. He managed a smirk each time he heard Steve's deep chuckle, eventually being lulled to semi-consciousness by the rhythm. His thoughts drifted back to _Slinky_, to laughing with Lance. The man's exotic accent made his laughter sound mysterious and innocent at the same time. Tony still couldn't place where he had seen him, but then again he didn't really try to. All he wanted to think about was that laugh, and being able to hear it again.

The day had been exciting, disappointing, and refreshing all in the same. Tony knew the issues with the Japanese company wasn't even close to being over. He knew he would start to unearth his father's old plans tomorrow, and he expected a call from their front. But that was fine, because he was going to see Lance again tomorrow as well. Tony wasn't particularly a patient man, but he felt like something about the foreigner was worth waiting for. He hoped to find out what tomorrow.

Tony finally fell asleep to fake studio laughter, gold and red pom-poms, and dreams of bright emerald eyes.


	6. Room For Shades Of Gray

**_A/N: Heads up, the story about the woman at the beginning really happened, minus the being hit on part and I didn't rat her out (you'll see). Bartender's code and all that, obviously no names, but a story worth sharing. _**

**_Also, thank you guys for your continued support. This is my longest fic so far (chapter 4 alone is), and my best written. I was still in middle school/high school when the others were birthed, so I apologize for any of you who popped to my profile expecting something awesome and reading garbage. Seriously, sorry, haha._**

**_Reviews make my day, so please let me know how I'm doing! I love you all!_**

* * *

Loki was _really_ starting to hate his own existence. Manual labor was becoming a daily occurrence, much to his distaste. He couldn't freely use his own magic, his _birthright_, unless no mortal was near. But worst of all, he had to _socialize_.

Problems were a commodity, that Loki was well aware of. He had several of his own, and was no stranger to the concept. Mortals, however, seemed to _feel_ the _need_ to _tell_ him things with absolutely no shame. He could feel lies in the air like his own magic, but these damn people and their _problems_.

It began right around four, when a woman came in talking about meeting a friend. Loki did his part, asked about the friend and their plans. After two double Absolut mixers, she professed she was going to meet her lover. Loki had known, of course, having seen the fabrication like webs from her aura, but he absolutely did _not_ want details. After the third, she didn't care what he _ever_ could have wanted. She hit on all the other men who happened to be sitting at the bar alone, asking extremely inappropriate questions. Loki was rather enjoying their discomfort, until she turned her pries on him.

Greg had decided to make himself quite scarce, which Loki later discovered was on purpose, so all her unwanted attention was focused directly on him. It began slowly at first, asking him to read the incoming messages on her mobile. Loki had been quite thrilled, having never held a Midgardian mobile communicator before. She then asked him to reply for her. Her lover had inquired about a romantic getaway in Key West.

"What shall I reply?" Loki had asked. The woman, who was clearly in her fifties, leaned forward. She attempted to prop her ample (extremely fake) chest up, giving Loki a clear view of her cleavage. Loki was aware of her attempt, but was far too enthralled with the mobile to comment.

"Well, I _know_ this isn't right of me, but I'm not happy with my husband," she drawled, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth coyly. Loki simply raised a thin black eyebrow. "Tell him I need to make arrangements."

Loki carefully tapped the screen, joy surging through him when the words began to form. This was simply amazing; the barest touch could create or destroy. The sorcerer hadn't felt this overjoyed since creating his latest spell. He didn't hand the device back until he felt thoroughly satisfied with his own curiosity, taking his time to write out the reply.

After more small talk, the woman's phone dinged with a new message. She cleared her throat, her eyes gleaming. The look reminded Loki of a large predator stalking its prey.

"_Shit_!" She snapped, throwing her phone down. Loki had to hold back his cry at the magical device enduring such torment. "That was my husband. He's coming here. Shit! You keep your mouth shut about Key West and I'll leave you a fat tip."

Loki honestly couldn't care less, nodding his consent. When the older man arrived, however, Loki allowed his fingers to graze the man's hand when he took his glass. In that second, he pushed the thought of his wife cheating mercilessly and without remorse deep into his subconscious; after all, he didn't have to open his mouth, per say.

Moments later, the check was paid and they were gone. Loki felt quite smug when he could hear them screaming outside the club - that'll teach her to spill her secrets to the God of Mischief.

Greg came back out from his hiding place in the kitchen. "Boy, you handled that like a _champ_!"

"How do you mean?" Loki asked, tucking some errant hair behind his ear. Today his hair was pulled back loosely with a ribbon, allowing a few strands to escape. He had decided to not pull his hair back too tight, hating the wave that showed when he used a band and let it free. He would never _admit_ wanting to look flawless for Tony Stark, but he did feel a certain pride in his appearance. He was a god, after all.

"That cougar was all over you, man," Greg replied, leaning back against the bar. "I'm sorry I left you to the wolves like that."

"Cougar?" Loki asked, feeling his features scrunch in confusion. He hadn't felt a glamour disguise. "She did not have large teeth or a tail."

"How the hell does a handsome young guy like you not know what a cougar is?" Greg laughed, shaking his head. "You're adorable."

Loki frowned deeply. "You could simply explain without the jesting, _Gregory_," he snapped. Loki was not one to lack in knowledge - he especially did not appreciate being heckled for it.

Greg held his hands up in defense. "Sorry, sorry. You get so touchy that I just have to tease you."

"Point?"

"A cougar is an older woman who goes after young guys. That's why I'm surprised you don't know what one is." Now it was Greg's turn to look confused when Loki snorted. "What? Don't tell me you're Asian or something - like you look twenty but you're really sixty-eight?"

Loki chuckled, turning to a new patron. "Something akin to that, Greg."

The rest of the night was fairly uninteresting - Loki swallowed his pride and listened to each and every problem any soul could pour to him. It was slow on drinks in the well, so Loki had no choice but to abide with nods and sympathetic noises without the reprieve of a distraction. One woman lost her job because she wouldn't sleep with her boss even though she desperately wanted to (she didn't say that, but Loki knew); an older gentleman got a divorce because his step daughter was roped up in pain medications and stealing from him and his now ex-wife, destroying their happy marriage (he never loved that girl like his own child, only tolerating her for his wife; this one thoroughly annoyed Loki); another man lost his entire savings gambling in Las Vegas to try to win a small fortune to pay off his mortgage (not gambling, but on hookers he would never tell his wife about until she discovered she acquired herpes from her cheating husband; best one of the night).

Nothing interesting in the slightest. Each problem was originally sourced from a lie, which would now need to be buried under even more tales. That was barely enough to keep Loki from stirring up trouble himself, having grown increasingly bored with each new mortal.

"You're _such_ a good listener. I feel like I can trust you with anything," one woman had said to him. Loki immediately covered his blossoming smirk. Even in his mortal disguise, he still seemed able to lure mortals to a false sense of security before he destroyed them. Dealing with all these mortal problems had been quite tiring, but at least he wasn't losing his touch.

Eventually the club began to pick up, pulling Greg behind the bar and Loki to the well. Loki kept up quite well, recalling recipes from the night before Tony had rattled off to him. The billionaire had not shown up early, like the day before, and still had not arrived. Loki caught himself glancing at the door, expecting the man to waltz in like he had been there the whole time.

Greg checked in on him periodically, glancing over his shoulder. Loki could feel his breath on his neck when he would reach for the tickets, naming off ingredients to drinks he knew Loki had not yet experienced. Even with the height difference being in his favor, Loki did not feel entirely comfortable with the proximity. When Tony had held his wrist, he felt elated, but the closeness with Greg was annoying. The man seemed his best at arm's length.

Hours went by, Loki mixing drinks on autopilot with his mind wandering through the differences between the mortal relationships he held with Tony and Greg. It was only when a new drink rolled out that Loki didn't know did he come to the present.

"Greg," he called, looking over his shoulder. The man was no where to be seen, the bar void of patrons. Loki sighed, grumbling. He turned back to the well, re-reading the ticket. "What in the nine realms is a mojito?"

"Lime wedge, handful of mint, some Bacardi Limon, give it a sexy shake and some soda water, and you're good to go!" Loki jumped, jostling the mixing tin from the well into the cooler of ice. His stomach flipped when he looked over.

Tony Stark must have came in some time during his brief search for Greg, taking his seat from the night before right next to Loki's well. Tonight he wore a dark leather jacket over an off-white button down shirt. His familiar smirk lighted his lips, making his eyes twinkle brightly. Somewhere along the exchange, Loki had forgotten to breathe.

"Welcome back, Mr. Stark," the god said simply, turning to mix the drink as instructed, all evidence of his shock wiped clear. He had to turn away to hide his blooming smile from the man's return. Tony caught it anyway.

"Good evening, Mr. Norse," the genius answered charmingly, stroking his goatee. He watched Loki finish up the drink and hand it to the waiting dancer. Once Tony held Loki's full attention, his grin widened. "Where's your teacher? At this rate I'll start wanting to split tips."

"That is a wonderful question," Loki answered sarcastically. He looked around and waved a hand to add to his point. "No where near here, obviously."

"Ah, his lost," Tony said, leaning back. There was a hidden meaning in there somewhere, but Loki could not place it. He drummed his fingers on the bar, locking eyes with Loki. "So when are you out of here?"

The god hesitated, unaware of the time. "We close at two," he supplied. Tony looked at his mobile.

"Well, it's dead as hell in here, and you close in an hour," Tony answered, raising his eyebrows thoughtfully. Slowly a grin spread across his features. "At this rate, you couldn't really be _blamed_ for heading out early. Especially when you can't find your boss."

"Greg is _not_ my boss," Loki scoffed. Tony chuckled, folding his arms on the bar.

"All the more reason to not worry about him and run off with me." Tony had begun to lean forward, much like the cougar from earlier had done. The difference between the two was Tony seemed to be able to sway and catch Loki's attention with his twinkling eyes and small grin. The god felt his usually clear mind fog over with the promise of some type of mischief and the unknown. He suddenly found himself leaning over his side of the bar.

Loki felt brazen despite his flimsy disguise. He locked his eyes with Tony through the lenses of his glasses, smirking. Tony could feel Loki's cool breath ghost over his cheeks as he spoke. "I suppose I shall grab my coat," the god said, voice barely above a whisper and dropping an octave. Tony upgraded to his million-watt smile, obviously pleased. The man touched Loki's wrist briefly, jerking his head to the side.

"Well hurry up! I'll cover for you if Greg turns up," he whispered back. He tapped Loki's wrist twice before pulling away. Loki nodded, pulling back from the bar and heading around to the floor. Tony watched him disappear around the corner, his fingers still tingling from Loki's abnormally chill body temperature.

Loki rounded the corner, hand immediately going to the wrist Tony had touched. He could still feel the man's warmth, which both calmed and confused him greatly. There was still no sign of Greg, either, even in the employee break room. There wasn't much in the small room, just a few cubbies and a coat rack next to a counter with a coffee machine. Loki snatched his coat down, pulling it over his black sweater. The day had been a cool one, much to his liking. He had caught odd looks in the street for not wearing a coat, which he quickly rectified by snatching the first fashion magazine he passed and conjuring a new overcoat. He paused, catching his reflection in the long mirror behind the break room door.

Loki remembered to pull the ribbon free, causing his hair to spill onto his shoulders. The overcoat was lined with marbled fur, standing out brightly against his dark sweater and coat. He had given his new coat a silky emerald lining as well, not quite able to help himself. Loki mussed with his hair a bit, glaring at his reflection. Pride in his appearance, that's all.

He found Tony still seated at the bar, chin resting on his palm. Loki slide up smoothly, fastening a few buttons. "Shall we?"

Tony looked over, eyes widening slightly. "Absolutely," he breathed, stepping down from the bar stool. Loki smirked; it seemed he had a similar effect on Tony that the man had on him. Tony was around the same height as Greg, but slightly taller than the other mortal, which Loki was pleased to note. He remembered from their battle Iron Man being taller, but he supposed that was the suit. Loki rather liked having the height over the billionaire, aiding in his confidence.

Loki nodded at Phil the Bouncer, suddenly feeling eyes on his back. Tony held the door open for him, waving to someone unseen behind him.

"Hey, Mom! I promise I won't keep him out past four!"

"Tony, Lance!? What the hell!" It was Greg. Loki smirked, ducking out of the club quickly. He waited on the outside for Tony, listening in.

"Oh you'll be fine, buddy. No one's here, and we looked for you for a solid minute on our way out!"

"But Tony -"

"Quit bitching. I made a promise, so we'll see you tomorrow." Loki watched Tony wave before letting the door shut unceremoniously. The billionaire laughed and shoved his hands into his pockets. "See? Told ya you'd be fine."

"I hope to have a job to come back to tomorrow," Loki teased, falling in stride beside Tony.

"I highly doubt that kid'll fire you for skipping out on work early to hang out with Iron Man," Tony smirked. His breath came out in little white puffs. "Besides, he's got a thing for you."

Loki honestly couldn't hold in his loud laugh. "Absolutely _not_."

"If you say so," Tony said, shrugging. He bumped his shoulder into Loki's intentionally, "Let's not find out, hmm?" Loki looked over at the man, blinking. Before he could respond, Tony stopped short.

"So I was thinking we hit a twenty four hour diner around here somewhere. Sound good?" Tony asked, turning towards Loki.

"At least it's not another bar," Loki answered.

"Oh we can do that instead if you wanted some pointers," Tony replied, grinning. "Your mojito shake wasn't nearly sexy enough." Loki chuckled, shaking his head.

"The diner will suffice, thank you."

"Sweet! Hop in, then," Tony said. He had opened the passenger door to a sleek, black sports car. Loki noticed the light silver pinstripes down the sides, reading the word '_Camaro_' near the front tire. He nodded, grabbing the edge of his coat as he slid in. The car sat quite low to the ground, but was still immensely comfortable. Tony shut the door after he was sure Loki was all in and secure. Loki watched him walk around the front of the car, eyes roaming the dark leather expanse.

Tony opened the driver door, sliding in. His leather jacket squeaked against the leather seat. "Like it?"

Loki nodded. "Indeed. It is not what you have driven here before."

"No, that was my 'vette. I outfitted her with JARVIS, my AI butler slash best bud. I figured he would probably say something inappropriate, so I left him at home," Tony answered, smirking. Loki didn't totally understand, but Tony's smirk was infectious.

The genius turned away, inserting the key and turning the vehicle on. Loki flinched; this car was rather loud as well.

"On top of being Iron Man, I like to play with cars, too," Tony said, pulling his seatbelt over his chest. Loki mimicked the action, feeling a little better. The dash lighting up caught the god's attention; it was a screen much like the phone he had tinkered with earlier that night. "I installed this too. It controls pretty much everything, so feel free to adjust your air flow or whatever."

Loki nodded, feeling giddy again. He pressed the screen buttons carefully, delighting in the changing of temperature. He swiped over to another screen with a seat diagram. He tapped gently, yelping when his seat jerked forward.

"Woah now, tiger," Tony laughed, turning the wheel smoothly. His hand was between them, moving a gear shift in time with the engine. Loki glanced sideways at him, eyes flicking down to his hand. Fighting the urge to lay his own hand over Tony's, Loki chose not to respond and began his prodding again.

Loki found the button that released a flow of music into the car. It was along the same tones as the sound Tony's mobile had emitted the night before, causing the man beside him to tap his fingers on the steering wheel. Loki adjusted the volume slightly, before feeling his curiosity sated for the time being.

The pair fell into a companionable silence, giving Loki time to analyze his findings thus far. There was still so much about Tony Stark that he did not know. He knew his basics from before his return to Midgard. The people here regarded him as some sort of god in his own rights, no doubt aiding to his already inflated ego. Loki also gathered Tony to be some sort of genius by mortal standards. If the self installed screen or suit of Iron the mortal sported didn't tip him off, nothing would.

Those were the more obvious traits, leading Loki to the most recently uncovered. His whole plan revolved around growing closer to the man to uncover his secrets, which he felt was moving in the right direction based on the current company. This he had anticipated; however, what he had not seemed to be the most interesting. Loki knew Tony must have some sort of ability to have so many masses following him blindly and adoring him despite his obvious shortcomings. The man seemed to have a natural calming aura. Even though the man in question appeared so _everywhere_ all the time, his aura was very soothing and relaxing. Even Loki could feel himself losing irritation around the genius. It seemed, however, that the suit of Iron Tony has created for himself blocked that breath-taking aura. Loki definitely would have noticed it their first meeting right away had he been of his own mind, but even the second was hazy until he physically hurled the man from his own window.

Loki suddenly felt very, very guilty. At the time it had been quite humorous to see if the man would splatter across the pavement, but Loki felt instant regret at the thought. Even now, honestly considering it, he highly doubted if he would be able to _willingly_ hurt the man beside him. That, in of itself, was shocking enough. The fact of Loki - God of Mischief, harbinger of Ragnarok, rightful king of Asgard - falling under some sort of _auratic_ spell from a mere mortal was downright _embarrassing_. Loki shook himself from his alarming reverie, blinking quickly.

"Having second thoughts, Lance?" Loki looked from the window to Tony. He hadn't noticed them arriving at the diner due to his own thoughts, momentarily forgetting he was with the very person causing the turmoil. The man's eyes had clouded lightly with uncertainty, making Loki curse himself for being lost in thought.

"Of course not. I am positively famished," Loki answered, smiling lightly. Tony's uncertainty cleared when he smiled back.

"I hear that. I'll come around to let you out," the billionaire said, unbuckling himself. Loki did the same, feeling odd to not open his own door. If Tony insisted (which he did), Loki was fine with that.

Tony came around and let him out, shutting the door gently. He pressed the alarm button on his keypad, turning to Loki. "Ever eaten at one of these places?"

"This will be a first," Loki answered. They had begun walking to the door. The diner looked like a large silver can with bright neon signs displaying hours and world famous burgers.

"Oh you're in for a _treat_," Tony laughed, pulling the door open for them. Loki walked in first, glancing at the man suspiciously.

"How do you mean?"

"You'll see," Tony answered cryptically. They stopped by a host stand, Tony rubbing his hands together - for warmth or diabolically, Loki did not know. A blonde elderly woman wearing an old pink dress with a white apron came over after a moment.

"Evenin', sugs," she greeted, scooping up two plastic menus. "Just you two fellas?"

"Yup!" Tony answered. He placed a warm hand on the small of Loki's back, gently urging him forward. Loki obliged, scooting after the woman. Tony's touch still was alarming, being entirely too warm and confident and causing Loki's own aura to tingle, his stomach to jolt, and his mind to think too much. The genius was far too distracting.

Loki and Tony settled into a vinyl red and black booth. Loki suddenly felt very dirty. Everything he touched was sticky, including the menu. After Pam took their drink order, Loki leaned over the table and grimaced.

"Why is everything damp or sticky?"

"I really don't know. Every diner I've ever been in had either been sticky, damp, or both. I think it's a requirement," Tony answered with a light laugh. "Don't go into the bathrooms, either - everything is always super wet." Loki couldn't help but smirk, once again feeling his irritation fade. Tony Stark, still an enigma.

Loki settled back, looking over the menu. It still annoyed him that he simply couldn't touch anything without feeling the need to wash his hands; he almost used magic to flip the page. After a fruitless few minutes, Loki folded the menu and set it aside, sighing.

"Know what you want?" Tony asked, eyes still locked on the menu.

"I do not."

"Oh," Tony said, looking up. "Want some suggestions?"

"I am open to some, yes."

"Well, breakfast is always a good one," Tony said. "Do you like sweet things?"

Loki thought for a moment, deeply debating releasing the information. "Very much, actually," he confided. Even Thor had never asked such a simple but honest question, yet here was Tony Stark already many steps ahead right out of the box.

"That's good. So maybe some French toast with fruit? Blueberry or strawberry?" Tony asked, reading from the menu.

"Blueberry."

"Whipped cream?"

"I have not heard of that."

"_What_?" Tony's jaw fell open. "_Seriously_?" When Loki nodded, he laughed. "You're gonna love it. I promise."

Pam came back with Tony's coffee and Loki's water. Tony took the liberty of ordering for the both of them, which should have but didn't bother Loki at all. After Pam left to put their order in, Tony began dressing his coffee.

"I like things sweet, too. Like my coffee, for example. Two creams and, like, seven pounds of sugar. Everyone says I'm a day away from a cavity, but I say it's none of their fucking business," Tony said, stirring his coffee with a smile. He had added his ingredients as he named them, turning the once black liquid to a very light mocha. Tony took a long sip, sighing. "Perfect."

Loki shook his head, smiling faintly. "Is it, now?"

"Oh yeah. Here, try it," the billionaire said, holding out the warm cup with both hands. Loki wasn't sure how to proceed. He immediately felt his face flush from his own uncertainty, looking down at the proffered mug. Loki wrapped his cold hands around Tony's warm ones, immediately feeling the temperature difference as well as a jolt from Tony. He carefully stooped his head and brought the cup to his lips, sipping lightly. Loki's eyebrows raised in surprise, pulling back.

"Your coffee flavored syrup is quite good," he teased, catching a drop of coffee from his lips with his fingers. Loki nodded his thanks at Tony, seeing the man visibly swallow after his eyebrows shot nearly to his hair line.

"Well, good to know we have a sweet tooth in common," Tony said, clearing his throat. He brought the cup back to his own lips, drinking from the opposite side Loki had. After a short sip, he set the mug back down. "So, Lance. You like bar tending?"

"At times," Loki answered honestly. He had expected some level of inquires, and had decided he would attempt to answer properly and with truthful information. Mostly truthful.

"Oh yeah? Was today rough?" Loki groaned at the question, immediately rubbing his face with both hands. Tony chuckled, "Tell me."

"This woman was simply the _bane_ of my existence. Never have I been forced to allow such blatant delves into my privacy," he snarled, adjusting his glasses. Tony nodded, silently urging him on. Loki suddenly very much wanted to share.

"It began with menial questions, becoming more personal with each drink."

"What was she drinking?"

"Absolut double mixer, short glass."

"Oh lord. Vodka and some women simply don't get along," Tony grinned, unwrapping the straw on the table and putting it into Loki's glass.

"She should be the representative, then," Loki mumbled, watching Tony ball up the wrapper. "She even had me reply to a message from her _lover_."

"What? That's a stretch."

"Indeed. Then her husband came in and, quite literally, Hel broke loose," Loki smirked.

"Found out she was cheating, huh? Bars are pretty good for that," Tony said, shaking his head. No need for Loki to volunteer the 'how' he had found out.

"That was the beginning, but most interesting. Another involved a cheating husband who blew his savings on a prostitute in a city called Las Vegas -"

"Happens to everyone from time to time," Tony snickered.

" - and earned some sort of sexual disease for his conquest. Recently divorced man whining about his ex-step daughter stealing from him, and a sexually frustrated woman lamenting about losing her job because she would not sleep with her boss," Loki named off. "Then Gregory informed me that the woman who cheated on her husband was what is known to be a 'cougar'."

Tony sputtered on a sip of coffee, spraying a bit and patting his chest. "Uh what? You didn't know what a cougar is?"

"Not a phrase I am familiar with," Loki answered, wiping the coffee droplets from the table with a napkin absentmindedly. "I have already received thorough jesting from Gregory for my ignorance."

"It's just hard to believe you've never been hit on by an old broad before. I get it all the time, and you're a helluva lot hotter than me," Tony said with a head shake, setting his mug back down. Loki felt his face flush slightly at the comment.

Tony seemed extremely at ease around him already - offering his own beverage for a sample and not caring about drinking after the god as a result; ordering for the both of them; holding the door as if second nature; putting a straw into his glass (Loki never thought he would be so grateful for such a small invention). In the second it took Loki to analyze his findings, the obvious smacked him in the face.

"I am not," Loki said meekly. The weight of his realization knocked his breath out.

Tony Stark was _courting_ him.

"Oh _please_. You look like you just walked off of a magazine cover," Tony smiled, folding his arms on the table. Loki absolutely did not trust himself to look the man directly in the eyes, hoping his flush and adverted gaze would be interpreted as self-consciousness. It appeared to work; Loki caught Tony's smile widening from his peripheral vision. "You don't have to be ashamed, dude."

"I do not...know what to _say_," Loki answered slowly. He felt breathless for several different reasons entirely.

"I know you're new to the country and all, but 'thank you' works."

"I thank you," the god responded. He could feel his plan unraveling. This was his _goal_ - become close enough to Tony Stark to discover secrets, technologies, anything he could store away for later use against the man or his brother or S.H.I.E.L.D. But in the short car ride he realized he couldn't hurt the man, and now he knew things were moving in an entirely different direction that he couldn't control.

Loki felt his panic grow when he finally looked back at Tony. The man's aura was still as intoxicating as ever, but there was a change. Loki could read it in his eyes as well. The blossoming of a new emotion, one Loki was extremely unfamiliar with and could not name. Tony was smiling very softly, his eyes blaring the same unknown as his aura. When Loki's chest constricted, he _knew_ he was in trouble.

"Here you go, sugs." Pam, sweet dive diner waitress Pam, had brought their meals. She placed Loki's plate down first - four large triangles of bread topped with globs of warm blueberries and dollops of what Loki assumed was the whipped cream. Tony's meal consisted of a tall stack of circular dough and a separate plate with strips of fried meat. "And here's your syrup. Anything else, dears?"

Tony looked at Loki. When the god shook his head, he did the same. "No thanks, Pam. Everything looks great!"

"Good. Enjoy!" She sauntered towards the door where a new couple had just walked in. Loki watched her go, then turned his attention back to his plate.

"French toast?"

"Yeah, it's soaked in eggs and milk then pan fried. Usually there's some cinnamon too," Tony answered. He grabbed the syrup dispenser and poured a generous amount onto his stack. "Syrup is good with it, too. But you should try it first to see how sweet the berries are." Loki watched him cut through his stack of -

"What are those?" Loki asked, hoping to focus on something else.

"Pancakes," he answered, taking a bite. "Never had those either?" When Loki shook his head, Tony promptly cut a small triangle and put in onto his plate. "I got us some bacon, too, so help yourself to that. It's totally unAmerican to _not_ have had bacon, so while in Rome, hmm?"

Loki nodded, not fully understanding but grasping the point. He tried Tony's shared pancakes first, enjoying the bread melting in his mouth. Next he carefully arranged toast, berry, and whipped cream into one bite, cutting slowly. He sampled the dish, chewing thoughtfully. Eventually he nodded, taking another bite.

"Your chose the better meal for me," Loki said, eating much slower than Tony. The man was already half done.

"No way, man. Pancakes are the bomb," he answered, turning his attention to the third plate. "Bacon?" Tony offered, holding out a piece. Loki nodded, accepting the offer and taking the meat from Tony's fingers.

The bacon felt greasy to the touch and a bit hard. He brought it closer to his face, giving a light sniff. Tony's chuckle caught his attention.

"Won't kill you - not today, at least. Could in the long run." This did not settle Loki's suspicions. He sniffed again before carefully giving a nibble. "Well?"

"I rather like it, actually," Loki answered, surprising himself. He took a larger bite, nodding. "Very much."

"Good, otherwise we couldn't talk anymore," Tony teased, grinning. Loki grinned back, finishing the strip and going for another.

A portion of the meal was spent around small talk. Tony ended up finishing his pancakes long before Loki was even half through, munching on the remaining bacon. When Loki was nearly finished, Tony began discreetly throwing balls of ripped off napkins at the god.

"You cannot sit still, can you?" Loki asked, feigning irritation. The act was actually endearing.

"Nope!" The genius grinned, nailing Loki's glasses with a napkin ball.

Loki flicked a whipped cream coated blueberry in response.

"Woah! Don't challenge _me_ to a food fight, pretty boy."

"I believe the favor would be mine," Loki stated, gesturing to his still occupied plate. Tony twisted his mouth to the side, sighing.

"You win _this_ time, Norse. Next you won't be as lucky."

"Next time?" Loki asked, cursing himself the second the words left his mouth. He knew he had sounded hopeful, dammit.

"Yeah," Tony answered, all traces of his playfulness gone. His honey eyes searched Loki's emerald ones deeply. Loki would have sworn the man saw straight through his disguise right then. "Would that be okay?"

Loki angled his oval plate between the both of them, using the movement to look away. Everything about Tony was far too intense at the moment. "Only if you help me finish this." Simple, keep it simple.

Tony's lips spread into his largest smile of the night, Loki was quite positive. He scooped up his fork and began cutting a corner of the last piece of toast before he answered, "I can absolutely handle that. How did you like the whipped cream?"

"Best part," Loki answered, smiling softly. He cut another square, leaving the rest for Tony.

"Good to know."

After Tony had finished off Loki's plate, Pam came by to collect the empties and drop the bill. Both reached forward at the same time, causing their finger tips to graze. Loki flinched but did not back down. "Allow me my portion, Tony."

"Nope. I invited you, so it's fair."

"No."

"Well, too bad," Tony answered, bumping his foot against the inside of Loki's knee. Loki gasped in surprise, which Tony used to snatch the book from the table. "See? I win."

"_This_ time," Loki mumbled, shoving his hands into his coat pockets. Tony smiled crookedly at the comment, not looking up from the book.

"I'll remember that, Lance. Meet me by the door while I pay, okay?" Tony slid out of the booth, heading for the counter. Loki followed but headed to the door, studying the black and white tile while he waited on Tony. After saying their thanks, Tony again held the door for Loki as they left.

Loki knew this was simply something he would be expected to deal with, but he honestly couldn't help himself from opening his own car door. Tony just smirked, still shutting it after Loki was settled inside. The billionaire turned towards him, buckling his seatbelt. "So, I'll imagine you're pretty tired, right?"

Loki blinked, having not really thought about it. "Now that you mention it, I am."

"Cool. I'll take you home, then," Tony said, smiling. "Oh, I mean your place. Not mine," he added quickly. Loki smiled and chuckled softly; so the great Tony Stark could get nervous, after all.

Loki gave him the address, settling into the warmth of his coat. He listened to Tony tell some story about an Avengers conquest, asking questions and responding at the right times. It was enough to fill the car ride, and the man's voice was quickly becoming a soothe for Loki. Yet another trouble to think about later. For the time being, he would enjoy it.

Tony pulled up in front of Loki's building, the god once again losing track of time. He put the car in park, turning slightly to better look at Loki. "Well, Lance. I believe this is your place."

"You appear to be correct," Loki answered, looking from the window to Tony. Even the harsh lighting from the diner and the poorly lit car couldn't hide how handsome Tony Stark truly was.

"I know you aren't from here and stop me if I'm being too forward - like, seriously, I have a _problem_ - but could I have your cell number?" Tony asked, feeling slightly unsure. "We're going a bit out of order here, but it want to see you again."

Loki felt both excited and extremely deflated at the same time, for more than one reason. "I do not have one."

"No way," Tony's jaw fell open. "Hang on, I'll fix that." The genius reached over into the glove box near Loki's knees, causing the god to shift. "Sorry, it'll be worth it though." Tony rifled for a minute before pulling out a device similar to the one Loki had seen him use before. "All right, so this is a prototype phone my company is developing. We need people to try it out so we can work out the bugs and whatnot. Care to be a guinea pig?"

Loki couldn't believe his luck. "I absolutely would be honored."

"Good," Tony breathed. He began typing on the screen; once he was finished, he handed it over to Loki. "I programmed my number in there for you, so message me once you get upstairs."

"I shall," Loki answered, taking the device gingerly.

"So I'll see you tomorrow?" Tony asked quietly. Loki slipped the mobile into his coat, surprised by the (again) unsure tone the usually confident man used.

"Yes," he replied in the same tone. This was becoming all too much again, the same intensity as the air in the diner...

He didn't look at Tony until the man had taken his left hand, giving a gentle squeeze. Loki was met with soft honey eyes, his thumb caressing gently. How could one mortal be so damn _warm_ all the time?

"Awesome. Thanks for coming out with me," Tony said, squeezing his hand again before letting go. Loki, not trusting his voice again, simply nodded and unbuckled his seatbelt. Before he could slip out, however, he felt Tony's hand now on his shoulder. Loki looked over, unintentionally biting his lip.

Tony's hand moved higher and closed carefully around the back of Loki's neck, his fingers weaving into his long dark hair. Loki swallowed when he felt himself being pulled forward. He held his breath and closed his eyes.

Tony's lips were somehow warmer than Loki could have ever imagined. He pressed softly in the center of Loki's forehead, tickling the god's nose with his goatee. Loki inhaled slowly, catching whiffs of Tony's cologne - dark, subtle, and slightly metallic. When Tony pulled back, he let his fingers trail in Loki's hair, twirling slightly.

"Good night, Lance," Tony whispered, smiling. Loki let his eyes flutter open, feeling his face flush and his heart pound from the proximity.

"Good night," Loki whispered back, turning away and opening the door. He shut the door gently and headed up the stairs of the building. Once he had the door open, Loki looked back over his shoulder.

Tony had waited to leave and was now waving at Loki. Loki waved back, before finally turning and heading into the building. The instant the door was shut, he teleported to his floor. Loki walked over to the window, looking down at the black Camaro still by the curb. He watched until Tony drove away, keeping his eyes on the tail lights while trying to calm his racing pulse.

Loki changed into his sleep wear, finally settling onto the couch with his new mobile. As much as he wanted to explore the device, he was far too tired than to do what he had promised.

_This is Lance. I thank you again for the mobile, and a wonderful evening,_ he typed slowly.

The answer was almost immediate. _Sweet! And don't thank me again, you're doing me a favor._

_If you insist._

_I do. :) Sweet dreams, Lance. I'll see you tomorrow._

_Good night._

Loki got up from the couch and moved into his bedroom. He set the phone on the bedside table, dropping himself onto the mattress. Loki lowered his face into his hands, groaning.

This was _happening_. Tony Stark was _courting_ him, and wanted to continue to do so. The man saw something in him to _want_ to court, which furthered Loki's torment. There was nothing here of interest or to gain. He showed no signs of seeing through his disguise, Loki was sure. There was just _him_. But the truth was heart wrenching.

Tony wasn't interested in Loki Laufeyson, but the fabrication of Lance Norse. The part still had to be played, or else the initial plan would fall through. Loki rolled over on the bed, pulling up the covers. His forehead still tingled from Tony's lips; he shut his eyes against the pain slowly leaking into his already tired form.

Any benefits begot of lies required more deceit to be continued. Lance Norse would still survive for the time being. When the time should come for Loki to drop the charade, would Tony still accept him?

For this he had no answer, merely burrowing deeper under the layers of his blankets. Loki longed for peace of mind and sleep, eventually being rewarded. It seemed his subconscious had already connected Tony to feelings of peace, leaving the god to be himself with the mortal only in his own dreams.


	7. Waiting Here Tonight

_**A/N: HOLY CRAP THIS DID NOT WANT TO HAPPEN. Man this chapter was a bitch to get out. I still managed to write everyday, but for some reason this part was difficult. Thanks for sticking with me through this, guys. I hope you enjoy!**_

* * *

Tony dropped his waving hand after Lance's overcoat disappeared into the doorway. A smile crept onto his face after he released a breath he didn't remember holding.

"Damn that was _awesome_," he whispered, touching his lips lightly. Tony absolutely knew for certain now that there was definitely something special about Lance; as much as he had wanted a _real_ kiss, he didn't want to fuck anything up so soon.

Tony threw the Camaro into gear and pulled smoothly away from the curb. He committed Lance's address to memory, glancing one last time at the ordinary building. If Tony had his way, Lance wouldn't be staying there for much longer.

Tony expertly pressed the music option on his dash, pulling up the full catalogue of songs he had preloaded. He settled on Stone Sour, a band he had just recently picked up (even he could only listen to AC/DC a couple million times before needing a break). The genius tapped along on his steering wheel to the beat, his mind wandering to his night with Lance.

Tony was absolutely thrilled. He had expected the night to be pretty sweet, but it turned out way better than he could ever hope. The previously reserved man had opened up quite a bit. Tony thought there would be more resistance, but all worries washed away when Lance began recounting his night at work. Tony knew he could listen to anything the man had to say and never get bored. The thought felt extremely domesticated, causing him to shrug.

"Eh, I'll live."

Tony figured he had a lot more in common with Lance than just a love of sweets, but he knew it would take time that he was totally willing to give. He sighed, leaning into a turn. Lance obviously knew who he was now, but would he still need to impress? Tony was a never ending showman, putting on a charade of some sort nine times out of ten. He wanted Lance to be the ten percent he could be himself.

Tony's phone dinged, displaying a message from an unknown number. He held it up by the steering wheel and typed his password in. The message was from the prototype phone he had given Lance, thanking him again. Tony smiled brightly, typing his reply. Lance's answer was slower; he was obviously still learning. Tony chuckled and wished him sweet dreams, dropping the phone into his center console. Lance was distracting enough by thought alone; texting him would surely cause Tony to wreck.

Tony settled back into driving, singing along to his tunes. He loved throwing JARVIS into every aspect of his world, but he missed driving solo. His drive was over too soon, however; Tony parked the Camaro next to his Corvette and hopped out. After the alarm for the garage was set, Tony entered the elevator and pressed for the main living floor. He was far too wired to sleep just yet, so he figured a trip to his shop would suffice. Plus, he wanted to see who was home.

Tony was in luck; when the doors opened, he saw a familiar red head moving about in the kitchen.

"Natasha!" The assassin turned towards him, smiling wanly.

"I thought I had missed everyone. Good morning," she answered, sitting at the island with a cup of coffee.

"Nope! I just got in," he smirked, shrugging out of his jacket. "Morning!"

"I see. What were you up to so late?" She asked, pulling her shaw tighter around her shoulders. Tony looked at her for a second, contemplating. He figured if anyone would keep his secret outside of Pepper, it would be her.

And he _really_ wanted to rant about Lance.

"I gotta talk to you, 'Tasha. Man to man." Tony had crossed to her, and was now whispering. She raised a thin eyebrow at him, clearly interested.

"All right?"

"But it's between you and me. Otherwise, I'll stop buying the little snack cakes you like," he threatened lightly, pouring himself a cup of coffee. Tony would have sworn her face paled a little, but she just nodded curtly.

"Fine, go on."

"Well," he paused, adding his sugar and cream liberally. "I met someone."

"_Dammit_ Tony, I thought this was important!" She snapped, throwing her hand up.

"It is!" Tony protested. "Hear me out. This is _different_."

"I had heard you and Pepper broke up," Natasha said, tapping the counter. "How are you?"

"Fine, thanks! That's not important -"

"Really, Tony? You guys date for years, break up, and it's not important?"

"Well, I mean it _was_. We just decided we're better friends. Anyway, stop _distracting_ me!" He chided, sitting across from her. She scowled, but nodded.

"Fine, I apologize," she sighed, sipping her mocha. "What's her name?"

"See, _that's_ the deal," Tony smirked. She blinked. "Tell and no more cakes."

"You have my interest," she answered, eyes widening and eyebrows raising.

"Good!" Tony knew that was the best she would offer until she knew, so he surged on. "Lance."

"Huh? I thought some Russian female names were rough, but that takes the cake," Natasha smirked, snorting into her mug.

"No, 'Tasha. You weren't listening; _think_."

"What, Lance? I always thought that was a guy's name..." Her eyes lit up as her mouth made a perfect circle. "Oh. _Ohhhh_. That's because it _is_ a guy."

"One hundred percent, and damn is he _gorgeous_," Tony smiled, sipping his coffee. It felt good to tell someone about his newest obsession, so to speak.

"Wow, Tony. I feel honored that you would share this with me," the assassin whispered. "I had no idea."

"Well, I've always tagged both sides, but I figure none of you guys knew that. I'm just so excited I had to talk about him to someone; usually it would be Pep, but I don't know how she's feeling. She seems well, but I don't wanna rock the boat," Tony confided. Natasha nodded.

"Oh absolutely. I don't blame you." She squirmed lightly, leaning over closer. "So? What's he look like?"

Tony felt a large grin spread across his face. Black Widow, the world's most feared femme fatale assassin, sat across from him with eyes as bright as a school girl's listening to some juicy gossip. Which was exactly what was happening.

"Well he's got that whole quiet author kinda look; long black hair to his shoulder blades, wire thin glasses, super tall, clean shaved, and the brightest emerald eyes I've ever seen in my life," Tony drawled.

"He sounds quite handsome," Natasha sighed, nodding.

"You have no clue, man. His skin is so pale and flawless, like he was carved from freaking marble or something," Tony sighed, too, resting his chin on his palm. "Go figure he'd have to be from Europe; I've never seen anyone here that looks like him."

"Well, we do things better," Natasha smirked. Tony rolled his eyes.

"The best thing to come out of Russia was _vodka_." Tony's laugh was cut short by Natasha's fist in his shoulder. "_Ow_, okay, I was _joking_."

"So, when do we meet the man of your dreams?" She smirked, watching Tony roll his shoulder with satisfaction.

"See, that's my problem! How do I introduce all you guys cuz you're my life now. That's why Pep and I ended. I give too much of myself to the Avengers," Tony sighed. "I don't want to lose him the same way. Hell, we haven't even kissed yet and I'm already freaking out about losing him."

"No way!" Natasha's jaw dropped. "You haven't kissed him yet? I doubt that."

"Well, I kissed his forehead when I said good night," Tony mumbled.

"Okay then. That's more like you," Natasha nodded, satisfied. "Why don't we have a party here or something?"

Tony snapped his fingers and pointed at Natasha. "That's a really good idea! I'll invite him and his coworker."

"Why not just him?"

"I don't want him meeting all of you and freaking out. Besides, Greg is a huge fan and I kinda owe him a favor," Tony said. "I'll hire them as the bartenders for the party and have all of you meet him individually. Like you just _happen_ to be here, not as the whole point for the party."

"I can see that," she said, nodding. "One at a time. When?"

"Probably Monday. When does Bruce come back?"

"Tomorrow," she answered. "His trip to the Himalayas was really good for him."

"So he's like a monk now?"

"I wouldn't go _that_ far, but he can control himself better; or so he says. He's been really good these past few years," Natasha mused. Tony nodded.

"Well we'll test that once he finds out I swing both ways," Tony grinned, chuckling. Natasha laughed with him.

"I wouldn't worry any, Tony. You know we're all here for you, no matter what," she smiled. Tony smiled back, feeling a weight lift. He's never been ashamed of how he is, but it was nice to know Natasha had his back on this; he's also never had a problem telling people to fuck off, either, should the need arise.

"I'm glad to hear you say that, 'Tasha. Now, you're going to help me come up with a reason to have this shindig." Natasha Romanov flashed a grin to rival that of the great Tony Stark and leaned closer over the island to conspire.

* * *

"Dude, _Lance_. What the _hell_?"

Loki glanced up briefly from his new mobile. Greg stood over the table, arms crossed and scowling.

"I do apologize, Gregory. However, Tony and I _did_ look for you for some time before leaving," he mumbled, typing quickly. From the moment Loki woke up that afternoon he and Tony had been messaging nonstop. Loki's speed and skill was improving, and anytime he had a question Tony would reply quickly. It was almost as if the man was _waiting_ to hear from him (Tony would later admit Loki was correct).

"You _abandoned_ me!" Greg sniffed, flopping down across from Loki.

"Did not," Loki answered. He informed Tony of Greg's whining.

"Did _too_!" He wailed.

_Oh what a brat. Told ya he wouldn't fire you - he has withdrawal just from you leaving early_, Tony's message read. Loki snorted, nodding his agreement.

"Are you even listening?"

_Indeed_, he typed.

"You totally aren't."

_Tolerate him for now; I'll be there soon._

"Damn Lance, you're getting too good at that too fast."

_Oh my hero._

Tony's reply was instant; _Damn straight! Or maybe not the right phrase to use. ;)_

"So when do I get your number?"

That officially got Loki's attention, knocking the smile Tony's answer brought from his face. "Pardon?"

"Well, we're friends and all, so I figured I could," Greg mumbled. His cheeks tinged red slightly, reminding Loki that Tony had suggested Greg's feelings towards him weren't entirely platonic. The god felt like he could believe it.

"I do not know my own number; Tony simply programmed his in and bestowed it to me," Loki answered, sliding the black and silver device over. "You may do the same."

Greg carefully picked up the phone, enjoying the smooth feel. "It's super light. Like nothing's even - _holy shit! _This is the Arc Mach I!"

Loki blinked. "Pardon, again?"

"Arc Mach I; it's the prototype phone that Tony Stark has been developing the past six months. He had a press conference a few weeks ago, showing off this exact model. He said the name was still on the drawing board, but I like it," Greg gushed, his hands visibly shaking from excitement. "I can't believe I'm holding this in my hands right now! How did you get this? It's not even on the market yet."

"Tony requested I test the device for him."

Greg's jaw fell open. "No fucking _way_. Why?"

Loki shuffled a bit, feeling a tad modest. He didn't want Greg knowing the direction his relationship with Tony was heading, but he figured with Tony coming around so often there wouldn't be a secret to keep. "He requested a mobile number which I could not provide. To rectify he asked me to demo this."

"So he just _gave_ you a phone so he could talk to you?"

Loki opened his mouth to answer, then shut it again. Greg was correct - Tony just wanted to keep in contact with him. The man gave an unreleased device worth quite a bit of money simply because he wanted to _speak_ to him. The thought immediately made his stomach flip and his face tinge bright red. "Yes; I believe you are correct," Loki said slowly. Both men fell silent.

He cleared his throat after he felt Greg's eyes on him for the duration of their silence. "_What_?" He snapped.

"Dude, I'm _jealous_."

"Staring does not fix anything."

"No, like I'm _jealous_," Greg repeated. The intensity of his gaze bore into Loki, making the god shift.

"Were you to request a device, I am sure Tony would allow you one," Loki answered.

"No, not about the _phone_. But the fact that it never needs charging is pretty sweet," Greg said thoughtfully. "No, Lance, it's - "

"My two favorite bartenders!" Loki could feel Tony's aura the second he walked into a room, so he had already been alerted. Greg's eyes flicked to the man standing behind Loki as his expression darkened. Loki filed the reaction away for later thought as he slid further into the booth. Tony took the invitation, sitting down beside the god. He threw his arm over the back of the booth and discreetly around Loki's shoulders. It was much the same position from the last time Tony and Loki had shared the round booth; except Loki felt much more relaxed this time around.

"Good evening," Loki answered, glad to have Tony near as a distraction.

"Heya!" Greg said, smiling. All traces of his earlier dark expression were gone. Loki's eyes narrowed, but he said nothing. "So I'm pretty stoked to be holding the Arc Mach I right now, dude!"

Tony actually looked sheepish, scratching his chin. "Oh you know about it, then?"

"Uh, duh! Seriously? Of _course_ I do!" Greg announced proudly. "I keep up on all your company's stuff."

"Well good to know," Tony said, moving his free hand to the table top. "What do you think so far?"

"Well the design is very clean and lightweight. I love your logo down at the bottom on the back over the tiny arc reactor inside. It makes it all blue," Greg said, turning the device over. "I haven't tried the interface yet, but I'm about to program my number and _Slinky's_ main line too. Oh and keep the name; it's pretty sweet."

Tony nodded along, grinning at the end. "I will. Kinda fits my theme."

"_Exactly_," Greg answered, typing away on the Arc Mach I. "Here you go, Lance. Now you have three numbers!"

Loki took the device back, setting it down on the table. "I appreciate you."

"So are you liking it?" Tony asked, turning towards Loki. The god turned as well, noting there was scarcely any space between them.

"I am enjoying it," he answered. He noticed Greg shift slightly but ignored him.

"He's getting really quick at texting," Greg said, clearing his throat. Loki and Tony both looked over.

"I know," Tony said smugly. "I demand a _lot_ of rapid attention." Loki snorted.

There was a call from the back, making Greg curse. "Shit, I'll be right back. Lance, keep an eye on the bar."

Loki nodded, watching Greg slide from the booth with a scowl. Tony watched, too. Once he was out of earshot, Tony turned fully towards Loki. "Told ya he likes you."

"Where did _that_ come from?" Loki asked, chuckling.

"He looked like he wanted to kill me when I threw my arm around your shoulders," Tony stated. Loki shook his head, sliding back a few inches to face Tony properly.

"Either way, it does not matter."

"You think so, too, then."

"It does not _matter_," Loki said, firmer this time. Tony shrugged. "After what you stated last night, I have given it thought. I believe you to be correct, but I shall not pursue."

"Well that's good to know. I was kinda hoping this could be an exclusive thing," Tony grinned.

"And what makes you believe I will be pursuing you?" Loki teased, smirking lightly.

"A hunch."

"Oh? What would have tipped you off?"

"Just an elevated heart rate when I'm near, and maybe the breathless look you had after you got out of my car last night," Tony answered thoughtfully, resting his chin on his fist and successfully blocking Loki's view from anything except him. "You know, just a hunch."

"Just a hunch, indeed," Loki murmured, looking down at the table. He could feel heat raising to his face again, but didn't bother to control it. He hated being so transparent, but his usual defenses had been stripped away without the use of his magics.

"So is that your way of saying you'd be cool with me kissing you in front of him?" Loki's eyes widened; he snapped his gaze from the table back to Tony. The billionaire's eyes were warm and inviting, matching the small smirk playing with his lips. Leave it to Tony to take a random shot in the dark and hit a chord.

Before Loki could answer, however, Greg was back and flopping into the booth. "What the hell could they do without me?" He murmured, scratching his head. The man looked over the table, blinking slowly. "Everything okay over here?" He asked cautiously, looking directly at Loki.

"Peachy!" Tony answered, smirking. Greg tore his gaze from Loki and moved it to Tony. A few moments of silence ticked by, each second weighted with tension. Loki flicked between the pair - Greg gave off waves of irritation and jealousy in his aura, whereas Tony was as relaxed as ever, throwing out pulses of confidence and smugness. Loki did not like where this was headed.

"_Enough_," Loki snapped. Greg caught his gaze, knowing the command was directed at him. He frowned, but settled back. Tony looked over for a moment, slightly surprised.

"So what brings you by today, Tony?" Greg asked curtly. Loki threw him another look, but it went ignored.

"Oh man, I really did come here for a reason. I forgot," he grinned, clearing his throat. "So you guys are closed on Mondays, right?"

"Yup," Greg answered.

"Sweet. Well, a very good friend of mine just got back into the country and I want to throw a 'Welcome Home' party for him. But I need some skilled bartenders so I can actually _enjoy_ the party. Usually I'm making the drinks. So basically, I'd like to hire you two to run my bar for me!" Greg's jaw dropped; all traces of his animosity towards Tony evaporated. Loki felt quite surprised as well, his eyebrows raising.

"No fucking way!" Greg gushed. "One of your parties!? Like, in the Avenger Tower?"

"The one and only."

"Oh man. We are _so_ in!" Greg's grin threatened to split his face. "Monday, right?"

"Yes, it'll be in the evening, obviously. I know you close early on Sunday, so you should have plenty of time to rest. Just wear whatever your uniform is here. I'll send a car to pick you two up around six Monday night in front of _Slinky_."

"Oh my god this is _too_ fucking awesome!" Greg said, vibrating from excitement. Tony chuckled, shaking his head slightly. "I have to go tell Phil; _PHIL!_" Then he was up and out of the booth and gone from view. Tony looked back at Loki.

"Are you okay with this?"

"Yes." Honestly he was. He sensed no malevolence from the invitation. Besides, Loki's curiosity to see the inside of Avenger Tower in much more detail was overwhelming. Not to mention a glimpse into Tony Stark's private life.

"Good. I really want you there. I don't want to freak you out or anything, but I like having you around," Tony whispered, smiling softly. Loki blinked widely, feeling his stomach flip. It somersaulted again when he felt Tony's arm leave the top of the booth and slide to settle around his waist.

"I enjoy your company as well," Loki heard himself saying. Tony's smile grew.

"I'm glad," he answered, pulling Loki closer. He pressed his cheek to the side of Loki's face, letting go of a small sigh. Loki was engulfed by the man's scent again, feeling calm and erratic at the same time; he let his eyes slide close in the loose embrace.

When the proximity almost became too much, Tony began to pull away. Loki's hand twitched, fighting the urge to keep him closer. "I can't stay during your shift tonight."

"That is fine," Loki said, feeling slightly disappointed. He was already so accustomed to the man's presence.

"I'll come see you when your shift is over," Tony offered, adding a quick, "If you'd like."

Loki smiled softly. "I would."

Tony's signature million watt smile was blinding. "Keep your phone on you; I'll text you when I'm on my way."

"Alright," Loki answered. A moment passed where neither spoke. Loki could feel the beginnings of the heart-stopping aura from the car flooding back in. Tony could too, it seemed. He leaned in again, pressing his lips to the skin just below Loki's ear.

The action surprised Loki, causing him to jolt and grab the edge of Tony's shirt. The man chuckled warmly, laying his free hand over Loki's and twining their fingers together. "Was that okay?" He asked. Loki could feel the words rumble in his throat and down his chest.

"Yes," he breathed. He felt Tony's lips smile again as he pressed another kiss. Loki was better prepared this time, but couldn't fully suppress his shudder.

"Good, I'll see you later tonight, then," Tony said. He gave a squeeze of Loki's hand before untangling and slipping from the booth. Loki felt colder than usual from the man's sudden absence.

Loki nodded and moved from the booth as well, grabbing the Arc Mach I on his way. Tony smiled again. "I want to make that expression a constant."

"What express-" Before Loki could finish asking, Tony had grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him forward for another (albeit disappointingly quick) kiss to his pulse point. "_Oh_."

"You're catching on," Tony grinned, pulling back. Loki simply blinked, fighting a grin. "I'll see ya!"

Loki watched Tony head for the door, sighing slightly. The man was still an enigma, especially now that Loki had to rethink his entire plan (if he even still wanted to go through with it). For now, he decided he would watch Tony Stark walk away in his almost too tight jeans and flattering black sweater and try not to think _too_ much.

His reverie was, of course, interrupted by Greg plowing into him from behind. Loki growled, stumbling forward a few steps; Greg instantly wrapped his arms around Loki's waist to end the tumble.

"_Dammit_, Gregory!" Loki snapped, twisting from his grip. He spun on the man, using his full height to loom darkly. "Do _not_ touch me."

"Aw, Lance, I'm _sorry_. I honestly wasn't watching where I was going," he answered sheepishly, scratching his head. "I'm just _so_ excited right now!" The action only furthered Loki's annoyance. He very much wanted Tony to re-enter the building for his naturally calming aura.

That, of course, was impossible because Tony had already entered his car and left the parking lot -

"Hey again, guys. I somehow forgot my sunglasses!" Loki's eyes widened; he had been so aggravated at his friend he hadn't noticed Tony coming back in, let alone standing directly behind him. He looked over at the billionaire, feeling every ounce of aggravation drain away. The god knew it was impossible that Tony had somehow _knew_ he needed him, but yet here he was to retrieve his sunglasses at the perfect moment. _Inconceivable_.

Tony scooped up his shades from the booth they had been sitting at, sliding them over his nose. "Usually I keep an extra pair in my car, but this _is_ the extra pair." His chuckle was low and rich, making Loki hold his breath while he crossed back over. Loki reached out slightly, letting go of his trapped breath when his hand was met by Tony's.

"That's weird; usually I'm good about _not_ forgetting my shades," he mused, kissing Loki directly on his cheekbone and squeezing his hand. "See you tonight. Later, Greg!" Then he was gone again.

Loki watched the door for a moment before the weight of what had happened settled suddenly. He looked at Greg quickly.

The man stood still, all previous excitement gone. Greg's lips were a thin white line, his nostrils flaring slightly. "Lance, I was going to say earlier that I feel extremely jealous, but I know you won't understand why. I will, however, suggest you stay _away_ from Tony Stark romantically. He's bad news."

Loki frowned. "I appreciate your concern, but I will be fine."

Greg simply shrugged, crossing the few feet of space Loki had put between them. "When this blows up, don't say I didn't warn you," he whispered, placing a hand on Loki's shoulder. "I don't want you to be caught up and get hurt."

Loki tilted his head, processing the new information. "Again, I appreciate -"

"Yeah, I know. I had to say it, though," Greg said. All traces of his usually carefree nature was replaced with deep foreboding. Before Loki could say more, Greg squeezed his shoulder and his usual grin was back in place. "Let's get some nachos, man!"

All Loki could do was nod, watching the man jog towards the kitchen. He would talk to Tony for his opinion on the matter later. The thought brought Loki to the conclusion that in four short days, Tony was already so enveloped into his life he felt an actual _need_ for his opinion.

Loki shook his head, trying to clear it. He was in trouble. _Very_ serious trouble.

* * *

"What is he, your _mom_?"

Tony had picked Loki up much the same way as the night before (whisking him away before Greg found out), but instead of a late night diner, the pair sat at a small table in the corner of a dimly lit jazz and coffee shop. Loki had immediately warmed up to the atmosphere while Tony directed him towards their current table so he could order. Loki was rather enjoying having the man order for him - it helped to hide his lack of knowledge of the culture (he was catching on) and he could feel that it gave Tony some sort of satisfaction at having his tastes be trusted.

"I don't know if I should feel _flattered_ or _pissed_," Tony added, chuckling. Loki watched his reaction carefully, having recounted the moments before his return after settling in with two steaming mugs of coffee. The genius' aura was tumultuous at best, pulsing with aggravation and humor twining into his usual calm.

"I would ascertain both," Loki murmured. Tony looked up from shaking sugar packets into both mugs and grinned.

"You're a quick study," the man teased, looking back to his task. Tony had tried to explain how to make his coffee, but after several failed attempts he just threw down his cash and said to just bring everything and he'd make his own, _thank you very much._

"I _can_ be," Loki answered. He watched Tony add the cream liberally, stirring as he went. Once he felt satisfied, he pushed the identical mug towards Loki and took a sip of his own.

"Oh, you'll _love_ this one. Much better than the diner," Tony sighed. Loki wrapped his hands around the mug, bringing it to his lips.

"_Perfect_," Loki breathed. He rather liked this coffee beverage, so far being his favorite on Midgard.

"No, it's close though. Let me make you my coffee from home - _that's_ perfection," Tony grinned. He set the mug down and began making a little fort with his empty sugar packets and stir straws. "So go on."

Loki paused, collecting his thoughts. He wasn't sure how much he wanted to share, but had feeling he would end up being totally transparent again. Tony seemed to bring out the honesty in him - quite the feat coming from a lie smith. "He seems to have convinced himself to be a protector of some sort for my well being."

"That would be because he's crushing like a teenaged _girl_," Tony murmured, taking a sip.

"He mentioned you specifically being 'bad news', in his word." Loki knew quite a bit about the man before him, more than he was sure Tony was aware of, but being faced with the possibility of there being more to learn that was less than favorable was intoxicating. Despite the variance in technique, his goal to uncover all was still very much alive.

Tony sighed, shuffling, "I think I know what he's referring to." He paused, choosing his words carefully. Lance was special - he did not want an ending _before_ a beginning. It's just bad story telling. "Greg seems to be a pretty big fan of mine, whether it's the company or the Avengers doesn't really matter. A few years back, before half of this city was leveled by an alien race - "

Loki gulped, feeling a knot in his stomach.

" - I was a pretty bad playboy. Different chick each night, different party each night, different hangover each morning, you know," Tony said, waving his hand. He kept his eyes glued to his beverage, almost afraid to catch Loki's gaze. "Then I was man-napped and held captive for months of torture. They kept me alive by wiring me to a damn car _battery_ in a fucking _cave_. So I built the first Iron Man and blew that place sky high."

"In a cave?" Loki blurted. Tony looked up, startled. "You built your suit in a _cave_?"

"Well, the _prototype_," Tony answered. "But the point is after that little episode, I kinda slowed down. Still a different chick every night, but not so many hangovers. The thing is, if Greg follows my image as much as he claims, he saw _all_ of that. Pepper and I had been secretly dating, but the past few months when we began unraveling I had someone different on my arm for each social gathering. Nothing ever happened - I was a player, never a cheater - but I know how it looks. I'm sure it doesn't help that, like, _no one_ knows I play for both teams." Loki didn't need to ask to understand that innuendo. "So I think he's trying to protect you from some sort of image he's played me up to be in his mind. He wants to prove he's better."

"But Lance," he added softly after a moment, catching Loki's emerald eyes with his own. "I have my shortcomings, but I'm really not a _bad_ guy."

Loki's entire being clinched with the sincerity in those honey eyes. Tony wasn't a bad guy, not at all - it was _Loki_. He was being met with such honestly and openness and no matter what he said or did, he was _still_ deceiving Tony. The weight was beginning to crush him. Loki wanted nothing more than acceptance and care, and here Tony Stark was practically offering it on a silver platter and all Loki could offer in return was more deceit. All benefit begot of lies...

"I know," Loki whispered with much more emotion than he could conceal. Tony's eyes widened a fraction, catching an inner battle reflected in Loki's eyes briefly. He reached across the small table and took both of Loki's hands in his.

"Hey, man, it's okay," he soothed. Loki's hands gripped Tony's tightly.

"No, you are _amazing_. And I am - "

A liar? A thief? A ghost? A shell? A monster?

"I am _not_," he whispered. _All of the above._ His hands grew lax in Tony's grip as he visibly sank into the seat under his immeasurable weight. Tony frowned, not entirely understanding the internal conflict, but gathering enough to know something was wrong.

"_Hey_," Tony said again. He moved one if his hands up to cup Loki's cheek, turning him gently back to face forward. Tony threaded his fingers lightly in the loose strands of Loki's hair, pleased that the god had let it down again for their outing. He stroked Loki's cheek with his thumb lightly and smiled. "You're doing just fine by me."

Loki sighed, turning his face towards Tony's palm. He kept one hand loosely gripping Tony's on the table while his other covered Tony's over his cheek. "If you insist," Loki said, his voice muffled. He threaded their fingers together as he lightly placed a kiss to the billionaire's palm.

Tony inhaled sharply from surprise before relaxing completely. Up until now, Tony had been the one initiating more than platonic actions. He felt thrilled to no end from the display. "I _do_ insist."

"I have a request," Loki started again after a moment, smiling lightly. Tony had rolled his sweater sleeves up to his elbows when they had arrived, exposing his tan forearms. Loki's fingers began absently trailing up from his wrist as he spoke. "Did you forget your sunglasses on purpose?"

"Hmm?" Tony asked, thoroughly distracted by the contrast of Loki's pale fingers dancing up his forearm. "I'm sorry, I was distracted." Loki smirked, but repeated his inquiry. Tony's eyebrows knitted together in thought.

"Usually I'm really good about _not_ forgetting anything of mine in a public place," he answered, rubbing Loki's cheek again before moving his hand to stroke his goatee thoughtfully. "But I feel like I may have done just that."

"Then now I must confess," Loki said coyly. His thumb stopped on the crook of Tony's arm, stroking just under the thick black fabric of his sweater. "You have a natural calming ability which I desperately crave. It seemed all too coincidental that you had left something behind and needed to return at the same moment I needed you near. I believe you _knew."_

Tony blinked and grinned. "I've always had a knack for being in the right place at the right time."

"So I have noticed," Loki smiled fondly, pulling back to wrap his hands around his mug. The heat was soothing, which helped to calm his erratic heartbeat. He watched Tony smirk over the rim of his mug as he took a large sip.

"Well, since we're in the confessing mode, Monday's party isn't just a 'Welcome Home' party for my Science Bro," Tony said. "Well, it's _mostly_ that, but I kinda want to show you off."

"To whom?"

"Ah, that's the _secret_," Tony grinned, tapping his nose. "You'll just have to wait and see."

"I feel the need to be alarmed," Loki drawled. Tony's grin turned into a smirk.

"Nah, just be yourself and you'll be fine."

Loki couldn't help his bittersweet smile, taking another sip. "If only it were that simple."

* * *

**_A/N: Anyone get the connection between the aforementioned band and the rest of the story? If you guess correctly, maybe I'll invite you to Tony's party! :D_**

**_I figure since all of you have stuck through this, you can figure out the 'Loki/Lance' bits when Loki and Tony are together; Tony sees his as 'Lance', but Loki is always Loki. I just wanted to address this (most likely needlessly) before the next chapter, which will be the party._**

**_ Thanks again, and I hope you all enjoyed! Please review with some kickass feedback. :3_**


	8. All Night -Part 1-

_**HUD: Thank you all for your patience with me! The reason this has taken so long is because it's SO LONG. So, after some heavy consideration, instead of making all of you wait for another week or so for the finished chapter, I have broken it in half. This being (obviously) the first. Enjoy!**_

* * *

"It would be cowardly to feign illness, correct?"

"What? Why in the world would you _want_ to do that?"

Greg's incredulous attitude was understandable. All the mortal could think of was meeting the Avengers in their own homestead. Unfortunately, that's all Loki could think of as well. And he was not in very good standings with said group.

"Because I suddenly feel ill," Loki grumbled, pulling his jacket tighter. The pair were outside of _Slinky_, waiting for their ride to Avenger Tower. Greg had already been waiting when Loki walked up, bouncing on the balls of his feet. After avoiding a hug Loki was _definitely_ _not_ in the mood for, Greg took a seat at an outdoor bench while Loki stood a comfortable few feet off.

"Whatever, man. You look and sound fine; besides, wouldn't _Tony_ be disappointed?" Greg asked, glancing over. He said Tony's name with obvious disdain, making Loki frown.

Sunday's shift had not been awkward, _exactly_, but not as comfortable between them as before. Greg was obviously displeased with Loki for his budding relationship with the billionaire, especially when said man had returned that evening to take Loki away after his shift. Loki had at least been able to deduce that Tony being male wasn't the cause, only that it centered on the man himself.

"Indeed," Loki nodded. Greg prattled on about his excitement and a few facts he knew about the Avengers. Loki merely nodded at the correct times, already knowing quite a bit that Greg shared. He was much too distracted by his thoughts.

One of Loki's main concerns was his flimsy disguise. He had merely modeled it for walking among the general populace to blend in. Then one thing led to another and now he was going to face all of them at once and would most likely be discovered. With or without magic, he was doomed. _Especially_ if Thor was there - his second (and biggest) issue.

As much as he didn't want to admit, Thor wasn't an _entire_ bumbling idiot. He could recognize Loki's magics no matter what he tried to do to mask them. Loki knew Thor would notice him immediately, and he was still trying to work out an excuse. Ever since masquerading as Lance Norse, Loki had been spending a great deal of magic to remain hidden. Thor had been keeping a close eye and dropping in ever so often before Lance. His visits usually ended in Loki terrorizing something, which he very well couldn't do under his current guise.

So Loki goes and meets Thor; Thor identifies him immediately and tells Tony; Tony proceeds to toss Loki from his window, and thus never sees him again. The thought of losing Tony was the worst of all. That alone had brought Loki to stand outside of _Slinky_ - he felt prepared to reveal himself to Tony honestly if need be. Lance Norse could not live forever.

"Dude, Lance! Tony sent a _limo_!" Loki snapped his head up, following Greg's finger. A black vehicle pulled up, quite nearly the length of the front of _Slinky_. Loki blinked, taking in the sight. It was definitely the largest vehicle he had seen thus far (except the large trucks he watched rebuild New York). The black limo slowed to a stop smoothly, the engine idling as it shifted to park.

A plump man opened his driver side door, walking around towards Loki and Greg. "Mr. Norse and Mr. Bell, I assume?"

"Oh heck yeah!" Greg answered, smiling. The man smiled back, grasping the door and holding it open.

"After you, then," he motioned. Greg yipped, diving into the cab. Loki proceeded much slower, nodding at the man as he slid across the dark leather interior. After the door was shut, Loki surveyed the cab.

There was a small but well stocked bar that Greg was thoroughly engaged with. Plush couches lined both sides of the cab, bathing gently in the soft light. Everything was smooth and dark, as if Tony had designed the interior himself (which honestly wouldn't surprise him); Loki would even go so far as to say it _smelled_ like the billionaire.

Greg prattled on about the small bottles of alcohol. "Lance! They're so _little_. I always feel like a giant with stuff like this."

Loki smirked, hiding his sudden discomfort. Greg passed over a mini bottle of vodka, which Loki gratefully took. He felt he could try to become drunk from Midgardian liquor. Perhaps there would be truth in the phrase 'liquid courage'.

Once the vehicle began to move, Greg settled down a few seats over from Loki. "So, are you nervous?"

Loki sipped at his tiny bottle, refusing to look over. "About?"

"Meeting the whole crew! All of them will most likely be there, you know. I'm _actually_ pretty nervous."

"Odd; you do not appear as such," Loki murmured. In truth, he _was_ nervous. He absolutely would not show that to Greg, however, and shook his head. "I am not."

"Okay, different question. How far along are you and Tony?" Greg asked, turning fully towards Loki. The god pursed his lips, still not looking over.

"That is none of your concern," Loki answered. Greg frowned, scratching the knee of his jeans.

"Well, I care about you so I'm making it my concern," Greg answered, finally catching Loki's gaze. The god frowned, feeling annoyance well up inside. Greg simply held his stance, gaze never wavering. Loki sighed after a moment, looking out of the window at people passing on the sidewalk.

"You are very persistent - why?"

"I said why."

"There must be more." There always is.

"Well, there is," Greg admitted. Loki rolled his eyes. "But it's not important. I just know how _hard_ it is to meet someone's close friends or family and all that, so I wanted to help. Don't worry, now, though."

Loki heard the hurt in Greg's voice, feeling sorry for the man. Even after all the deceit Loki spread by being Lance, Greg was still trying to be his friend despite still being unaware. He sighed, feeling guilt replace the annoyance. The god seriously needed to figure out a way around such _basic_ feelings.

"I do have some qualms. Tony speaks highly of them all, and I do not wish to disappoint," Loki said, looking over. He held Greg's full and very rapt attention, the mortal's eyes shining brightly. If he could allude to his problems without revealing too much, perhaps speaking to Greg would have benefits.

"Well, you're pretty awesome, so I think if you just be yourself, you'll be fine," Greg answered, smiling. "Oh wait. You probably shouldn't be so mysterious though. They may get suspicious."

Loki's heart thumped loudly. Suspicious? Why would he suggest that? Had he been discovered?

"I mean, they want the best for Tony, right? They're his best friends. So be more forthright with info and you should be good," Greg mused, stroking his chin in thought. Even in the sudden haze of suspicion, Loki decided the action was better suited to Tony.

So, Greg was still naive. That was good. "I acknowledge myself to be private, yes, but I understand they to be the same," Loki said, relaxing.

"Well, yeah, about their _jobs_. Oh, I know!" Greg announced, slapping the leather between them. "Role playing!"

"Have you ingested more bottles than I have seen?"

"I _did_ knock a few back, but I'm good, man! No different than a shift at the bar," Greg grinned widely. Loki still was unassured. "C'mon, you'll be glad you did!"

Loki took in his friend, his lips twisting to the side. After a moment's consideration, Loki knew Greg wouldn't let it go. Greg literally squealed when Loki nodded.

"Okay, awesome. Who do you think your biggest hurdle will be?"

"Romanov," he answered without thought. Loki had considered his options many times over, finally totaling out as thus: Barton he had already been immersed with and would not pose any threat; the Green Beast Loki assumed would not be there, but according to Greg's many rants, the mortal half couldn't remember what happened when in that form and thus wouldn't be able to recognize him; the Captain seemed far too naive for a possible immediate threat, but Loki knew he would need to be very transparent; Thor he would avoid at all costs. But Romanov - _she_ was the issue. During his captivity on the S.H.I.E.L.D airship, she was the only one he couldn't spur into insanity. She would have all her wits about her and would need to be heavily watched.

"Wow, I figured you would have gone for Bruce, being Tony's best friend. But choosing Natasha makes total sense," Greg answered. "I'm glad you listen to me when I talk! Sometimes I get the feeling you're just humoring me."

"I am."

"Lance!"

"Moving on, Gregory."

"Right, sorry. We're almost there. But don't think I'll forget that," Greg mumbled. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Loki raised one thin black eyebrow when Greg started shaking his hands.

"What are you doing?"

"Getting into character! _Shut_ _up_!" Loki snorted but remained silent. After a few more shakes and deep breathing, Greg's eyes popped open.

"_Hello, Lance_!" Greg smiled very toothily, his voice raising several octaves. Loki really couldn't stop himself - his chest rumbled with deep laughter, which he promptly tried to smother with a hand over his mouth.

"Dude, really? I'm trying to help you!" Greg frowned, back to his normal voice. Loki shook his head, still stifling his chuckles.

"You are doing magnificently. However, I doubt Romanov sounds like - ", what had Tony said about the high pitched server from one of the restaurants? _Oh yes_, " - Minnie Mouse."

"I'm more shocked that you know who Minnie Mouse is than I am offended," Greg said thoughtfully. Loki smirked slightly. "Anyway, stop being a dick for _maybe_ a minute? If we had time, we'd work on your _fucking_ _manners_ too, but we're almost there and you're _ignoring_ a lady!"

Loki rolled his eyes, but cleared his throat and humored his friend. "Good evening, Miss Romanov."

"_Oh, I've heard so much about you from Tony_!" Greg answered, back 'in character'. Loki bit his lip to stop his returning chuckle. "I'm so glad to be able to meet you!"

"And I you," Loki answered. "Would you like a drink?"

"_Oh, would I! You know, you're much more handsome in person_," Greg waggled his eyebrows. Loki lost it.

"Pardon me, gentlemen," the driver's voice attempted to cut through Loki's loud laughter. Greg held a finger to his lips, (_"Shush, dude! It wasn't that bad."_) before answering.

"Yes?"

"We are seconds from pulling up at Avenger Tower."

"Thanks! Alright, Lance, _shut up_." Loki nodded, dabbing at a few tears leaking out. He honestly hadn't laughed that hard since he and Thor were children.

The vehicle pulled up smoothly, resting gently to a stop. Loki sobered up quickly, suddenly facing the dreaded party. Greg patted his shoulder before sliding out of the open door the driver held. Loki sighed and followed him out.

"Mr. Norse?" Loki stopped his ascent of the stairs, turning to the driver. The man was smiling a secret smile, one that held knowledge Loki was not privy to but he was sure wasn't dangerous.

"Yes?" Loki answered.

"To reiterate Mr. Bell's original theory, you simply need to be yourself. I overheard a bit," he lowered his voice. "But Tony and I have been friends for years, and I haven't seen him this happy in a number of them."

Loki felt a smile grace his lips, feeling a great deal of weight lift. The driver smiled back before turning back towards the limo. Loki watched him get into the car before taking in the sight behind him.

The Stark Tower Loki had remembered from his previous visit had been rebuilt. The words 'AVENGERS' had replaced 'STARK', which made Loki frown. Tony's namesake on the side of the tower seemed much more fitting. The windows heavily reflected the usually soft light of dusk into blazing rays; Loki had to turn away from his traveling gaze up the never ending building, blinking rapidity to rid the pain. The god shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his overcoat, ascending the stairs once more.

Greg came into view, holding the door open. "Where were you? My arm is tired from holding the door so long."

"My apologies," Loki answered, sliding into the opening. "I do believe I should have held the door for you. But it seems I have a habit of making ladies wait."

"Dude, just _no_," Greg mumbled. Loki felt smug at Greg's heated cheeks.

The lobby was very plush and slightly warm. Several arm chairs and couches sat in semi-circles on either side of the room, surrounded by tropical-looking plants. The walls were all spotless glass except the back, which was a deep cherry wood. A large desk matching the wood from the wall sat in the center in front of a stone waterfall that was built into the wall. A pair of elevators sat around the falls, the dark gray metal wash complimenting the wood. Loki had to admit, Tony had taste.

"_Wow_, this place is _awesome_," Greg breathed. Loki nodded, eyes settling on the woman behind the counter.

"Good evening!" She called, smiling. "You must be Gregory Bell and Lance Norse!"

Loki nodded, dragging Greg towards the counter. "We are."

"Perfect! Mr. Stark has left key cards for you two here. You must be _Lance_," she smiled shyly, handing a badge to Loki. He nodded again, taking the plastic. He looked it over, reading 'Lance Norse, Full Clearance' across it. Greg's simply read 'Guest'. "The two of you with take the elevator to my right, your left. This one leads to the living quarters and ball room floors, but the right is strictly for business. Have a good night!" She smiled brightly one more time, before turning back to the papers on her desk.

Loki mimicked Greg's actions, clipping the badge to his lapel. They thanked the receptionist and walked to the elevator, Loki feeling his feet drag. Greg huffed once they got to the metal doors and pressed the 'UP' arrow.

"Obviously, regardless of how this goes, Tony still wants you around. See?" Greg pulled lightly on Loki's badge. "You have one with your name and 'Full Clearance' - I am 'Guest'."

"I am sure it is not _completely_ full clearance."

"Either way, it's a good sign," Greg mumbled, stepping into the elevator. Loki followed, not knowing how these things worked. Before any buttons were pressed, a disembodied voice spoke.

"Good evening Mr. Norse and Mr. Bell."

"Uh, hi?" Greg answered.

"You two are on your way currently to the ball room, floor 47."

"Sweet," Greg answered. "Who are you?"

"JARVIS, sir."

Loki's stomach flipped. The sentient being Tony spoke of as his 'best bud' could detect anything in association with Loki, and was currently speaking to him. Loki should have known the AI would be present at the gathering. The god knew then he would need to be extremely careful with everything, or he would not be leaving the night as Lance Norse.

The elevator ride was quiet, Loki growing more and more nervous as he worked out a spell to shield himself from the AI's scanners. He should have expected this, instead of pulling threads of energy into a rushed cloaking charm. Once they came to a stop, Loki breathed the spell out and held his breath.

"Welcome to Avenger Tower," JARVIS spoke as the door slid open. Greg watched him carefully, confusion evident. Loki merely brushed pass him, feeling elated that the spell had worked. Greg followed, giving a shiver.

"_Damn_ _dude_, that elevator just got really _cold_," he murmured. Loki shrugged.

"I did not notice."

"It's that bad ass coat, man."

The pair stepped out into a small foyer with little side tables lining the walls. The main doors were the same cherry wood as the wall in the lobby, surround by warmly gold painted walls. The double doors were shut, but Loki could hear an abundance of noise behind them.

"Should we go in?" He heard himself whisper. Greg snorted.

"Dude, calm the hell _down_. Of course we're going in." Greg felt it prudent to grab Loki's upper arm and drag him to the door. Said door swung open quite suddenly, causing Greg to come up short and Loki to slam into him.

"My apologies, gents!" The man who had pushed open the door grinned sheepishly, but Loki recognized him immediately.

"Hey you're the driver!" Greg sputtered. "How'd you beat us up _here_?"

"While you guys were busy _gawking_, I was already parking the limo. The name's Happy Hogan, Head of Security for Stark Industries," the man smiled. Loki blinked. "And I'm also heading the security for the party. So I'll be taking your coats."

"Oh, okay," Greg said, shrugging out of his zipper hoodie. Loki hid his discomfort as he slid one arm slowly from his overcoat. Happy and JARVIS were both wrenches he had not anticipated.

"You'll need this badge on you at all times, Mr. Norse," Happy said, passing Loki's badge back over.

"My apologies," Loki said charmingly, allowing their fingers to graze, and taking the moment to read into Happy's simple mind. He wasn't nearly as intelligent as Tony, but he was fiercely loyal to the genius. The ex-boxer held no suspicions towards Lance Norse, so Loki pulled back and clipped on his badge.

"It's fine! Now, Tony said he wanted you guys right at the bar. I have to stay by the door here, but it's straight ahead and you can't miss it."

"Thank you kindly," Loki said, speaking for them both. Greg nodded with a grin.

"Sure. Have fun!" Happy answered, smiling. The bartenders walked through the door that Happy held open and into one of the most luxurious rooms Loki had seen since Asgard.

The ceiling was double that of the lobby, but the room was designed similarly. Both walls to the left and right were solid glass and tinted to hold back the glare, looking over the New York skyline. The natural light let in by the glass panes bathed the entire room in a soft golden glow, catching the lines of sterling silver adorning all manner of furniture and causing it to shimmer. Seating areas similar to the lobby sat upon clearly plush carpeting against both window walls, showcasing long couches and armchairs beside dark wooden side tables. The center of the room was tiled in white and black swirled marble, contrasting brilliantly against the dark carpeting and cherry wood walls.

"Oh wow, Lance. _Look_." Loki followed the direction of Greg's finger, pointing up. He felt his jaw go slack at the sight.

Above the entire room were dangling crystalline structures. Not quite the single light source one would find in the dining rooms of Asgard, but many. They seemed to be built directly into the ceiling matching the marbled tile on the floor. Where the carpet began, an actual ceiling began as well, only built out a few feet. Loki's trained eye could see the difference in dimension and depth. Whoever had crafted this feat was truly _astounding_ - in the space between the crystals and ceiling, soft light escaped. The crystals caught the shades, traveling across the entire structure. Loki watched the stones change softly from every blue to aqua to a light sea foam and then to a deep emerald. An ever changing rainbow against a midnight sky.

"That puts the chandelier in _'The Phantom of the Opera_' to shame," Greg breathed. Loki tore his eyes away for a moment to look at him.

"In what?" Greg smacked his lips.

"Dude, don't ruin my sweet analogy and this awesome sight with your lack of pop culture references! Make Tony take you or something." Loki smirked.

"I believe we should locate the bar."

"Yeah, good call," Greg answered, scratching the back of his head. "Happy said it was straight ahead, but I - oh, I found it."

Greg started forward, waving Loki on with him. The god followed, finally looking at the faces of the people around. Everyone wore a similar uniform - dark slacks and a white button-down shirt. They wore badges similar to Loki's with their full names and photos across the front as well. He assumed them to be the servers for the party.

"Holy cow, this is fucking _awesome_." Loki tore his eyes from taking in the faces to the sight before him.

Tony had not been kidding about his bar being extremely well stocked. The bar was literally three times the size of _Slinky's_ and infinitely nicer. The counter top was real marble, matching the tiled floor. The base was deep cherry wood lined in sterling silver to match the rest of the wooden structures, and the bar stools were a very modern stainless steel with a black cushion. Nearly four hundred bottles of liquor lined the back of the bar, ready for use. The bar itself was set against the very back wall, situated against another stone wall fountain. Glass separated the bar from the trickling water, but caused a very relaxing atmosphere.

"Man, money must be _nice_," Greg breathed. "I'd have, like, forty of these if I could."

"You know, I feel the same way."

Loki and Greg both turned to see the owner of the _humble_ abode. Tony Stark stood a few paces back, moving closer. He wore a silky steel-colored suit with a black shirt and purple neck tie. Loki felt his breath catch in his throat as the genius grew nearer, his honey eyes dancing with excitement.

"So you do have, like, forty?" Greg asked once the distance was closed. Tony smirked, standing next to Loki.

"Realistically? Several in a much smaller scale, but this is the biggest," Tony answered. He bumped his shoulder against Loki's and smirked again. Greg twitched at the action, but didn't say anything.

"The craftsmanship is excellent," Loki said, breaking the tense aura between the two. Greg nodded his agreement.

"Yeah, you think so? Thanks!" Tony beamed at him, causing Loki to smile in return. Everything about the man could be so infectious.

A loud beep caused Tony to pull his phone from his pocket. After a moment, he sighed and slipped it back. "Okay, guys. I'm being summoned. Get comfortable back there, move things if you need to. If you run out of stuff grab one of the other employees. I've told them to make your needs top priority. The guests are gonna be in soon, like ten minutes or so. Whatever tips you guys get are yours, and the bathrooms are literally three feet from either side of the bar. I'll be around to check up," he finished, having pulled his phone back out to answer another beep. "Good to go?"

"Yeah, I believe we'll be fine," Greg answered. Tony nodded, not looking up from his phone.

"Sweet. I'll be around!" The billionaire turned on his heel and headed back the way he came, towards the elevators. Loki watched his back, feeling slightly colder than usual.

"Wow, uh, not to sound negative, but he seemed pretty _preoccupied_," Greg scoffed. Loki's gaze drifted from Tony to Greg. "I'm sure he's just super distracted," the man backpedaled. Loki snorted and rolled his eyes, turning to lift part of the bar to get inside.

"Thank you for that, _Gregory_," he snapped. Loki could feel Greg wince behind him.

"Just being honest, man."

"Much appreciated," Loki drawled.

"I take it you two aren't on PDA terms yet?" Greg asked, following after Loki.

"You know I do not know the meaning of your phrases," Loki snapped again, growing impatient. Being ignored was another large annoyance of the god's.

"Public displays of affection," Greg supplied, unfazed by the venom Loki leaked to his tone.

"No."

"Really? I figured he'd be all over you," Greg mused. "I know _I_ would."

Loki thought back to the light touches from the cafe a few nights back and decided it would not count as 'PDA'. "Silence, Gregory, is a most wondrous trait."

"Heard!" Greg answered with a sheepish grin. Loki glared.

No sooner had the pair become accustomed to the bar, patrons immediately made a beeline from the entrance. Greg and Loki had decided to both take one side of the bar after discovering that the dual wells were similarly stocked. The ingredients in the center were used enough by both to stay in decent contact.

During the second rush, Greg and Loki met up around the orange juice.

"Doing okay, Lance?" Greg asked. The man was goofy by nature, but once he was behind a bar he became all business.

"Well, thank you. Yourself?" Loki asked, having worked through his earlier annoyance with the man. He poured a liberal amount of OJ into his short glass, passing the spout over to his friend.

"Pretty good! Actually got a few numbers so far, too," Greg grinned, wagging his eyebrows. "Maybe Greggy-boy could get a Sugar Mama from here."

Loki snorted loudly, knowing what that particular phrase meant (for once). Greg grinned at him before spinning away to the next patron.

Loki kept up very well on his orders, recalling recipes as he would magics. The sunset had completely left the sky, now a deep blue. The main source of light for the ball room came from the crystal ceiling, swimming in all prismatic colors. Music came from a table in the center of the room that had set up after Loki and Greg's arrival. Greg told him it was a DJ, and that the marble flooring acted as the dance floor. It was set back enough from the bar as not to cause too much crowding, which Loki was grateful for.

After another wild rush of drinks, Loki and Greg had a moment to relax.

"Wow, that was _awesome_. It reminded me of when _Slinky_ first opened and we were crazy busy," Greg sighed, cracking his fingers. The pair had settled into the center of the bar, leaning against the back. "Did you get any numbers?"

"Yes," Loki answered, shrugging. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a wad of napkins. "I believe I counted fifteen? I appreciate the reminder," he said, throwing the wad into the large trash can under the bar.

"Dude, _no_!"

"What?"

"It's _rude_ to throw them away."

"Perhaps within sight, yes. I have no use for them, Gregory," Loki answered.

"It's still - oh man, someone just sat on your side," Greg said, looking over Loki's shoulder. "I believe you have your first Avenger."

Loki followed his friend's gaze. Very rarely did anyone sit at the bar during the party, unless for business. Loki still had not seen Tony again after the initial greeting, and was disappointed in it not being him. Instead, there sat Clint Barton.

Loki turned back to speak to Greg, but he had already turned to a woman in a silky red dress taking a seat. He rolled his eyes and made his way towards Barton.

"Good evening, sir," Loki said, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. Barton looked over and smirked.

"Hey there, four-eyes!" Loki stopped, blinking slowly. Clint already had a glass in his hand, which Loki surmised wasn't the first of the night. "How you _doin_'?"

"Well, and yourself?" Loki drawled. He had to fight to not roll his eyes.

"_Wonderfuuuulllll_!" The archer drawled. "Please, _sir_, may I have some _more_?" He asked, giggling, as he shook his glass. Loki smiled tightly and nodded.

"What would you like?"

"Some Chef Boyardee pasta, baby!"

"To drink?"

"Oh, _oooooohhhhh_! You're a pretty smart fella, ya know?" Clint grinned, wagging his finger at Loki. "Sounds good!"

Loki watched the assassin waver on the bar stool, waiting on an answer. When still none came, Loki turned away slowly to mix a rum and Coke.

"Ooo, yummy!" Clint chirped after Loki passed the glass over and took the old one. "_Awwweeesum_. Now, you didn't see _nothing_! I wasn't here!" The man demanded. Loki merely nodded. "So, when a big blond dude comes -"

"Friend Barton!" No, no, no - it was so soon...

"Clint, Lady Jane and Lady Natasha are awaiting our hasty return!"

"_Yipe_!" Clint squawked, attempting to launch himself over the bar to Loki's side. A large hand grabbed him by his collar and hauled him back upright.

"Friend Clint! The barkeep cannot take you there!" Thor Odinson looked up from his thrashing friend and directly into Loki's eyes. The shock of being seen so soon kept Loki grounded, and thus made him privy to the connection lighting up in Thor's bright blue eyes. "Clint, go along now," Thor murmured. The inebriated man smirked and stumbled from the stool and towards the dance floor.

"_Brother_," Thor said, emotion welling into his voice. "You are here."

"Indeed I am, Thor," Loki answered. He felt his usual haughty attitude flooding back at the sight of his '_brother_'.

"I have been searching for you for _months_. Father wishes -"

"Your father, _not mine._ I do not wish to trade words with you on this hour," Loki snapped. He looked over towards Greg - the man was still speaking to the red dress woman, and thus not listening. "I am here unrelated to Asgard."

"I see. Then what, may I ask, _are_ you here for?"

"I was invited," Loki said without preamble. Thor's eyes widened.

"Friend Tony _invited_ you? You are close?" Loki hesitated a moment, which was all Thor needed. "You are deceiving him."

"Not precisely," Loki offered. He tapped the top of the bar in thought.

"Then how have you come to be here?" Thor questioned.

"I know this will be difficult for you to do as much for me to ask, but I need your silence on this matter."

"I believe you have been here since the start of the gathering. Do I have your word no mischief will be wrought?" Thor countered.

Loki narrowed his eyes, not enjoying the path the conversation was traversing. The fact of Thor automatically assuming Loki was here for some sort of under minding proved to Loki _again_ how _unwanted_ he was. "You have my word."

Suddenly there was a loud cheer and applause behind Thor. Both gods directed their gaze to Barton, who had wandered up onto the DJ's stage and was calling for a crowd surf. Thor looked back at Loki quickly, then back at Clint.

"We will speak again, brother," Thor promised, before launching from the stool and weaving into the crowd. Loki could hear his bellow even over the music.

"Children," Loki murmured, turning back to the bar after a few moments.

"I couldn't have said it better myself." A voice to Loki's right answered. Loki had felt the presence earlier and schooled his features accordingly.

"Good evening, Madame. What may I get you to drink?"

Natasha Romanov slid into the bar stool Thor had been occupying. She wore a low cut black velvet dress, making her crimson lips and hair stand out beautifully against her pale skin.

"A Black Russian," she answered. Loki smirked, feeling that suited her all too well. He busied himself with the cocktail, recalling his earlier roleplaying with Greg; he cleared his throat to fight the chuckle.

"Thank you," she answered as Loki slid the drink to her. "So you must be Lance, then."

"Indeed," he answered, slightly surprised Tony had spoken of him to his friends. "And you are Natasha Romanov, correct?"

"Indeed," she mimicked, her lips twitching in a small smile. Loki mirrored her with a small smirk of his own. "Tony speaks highly of you. I wanted to come meet you myself."

"Does he, now? Then the pleasure is mine, Madame," Loki answered, tipping his head politely. He felt a surge of pride knowing Tony spoke of him with such esteem - but also an accompaniment of dread.

"_Please_, Natasha is fine," Natasha said, taking a sip of her drink. Loki nodded. "Now, there is something I want to speak about with you." After Loki nodded again, she went on, "I saw Thor speaking to you with familiarity, and you look _very_ _familiar_ to me as well."

Loki cursed himself for his blubbering '_brother_'. Even in a hushed conversation, there was no 'inside voice' with that man. Loki simply nodded, as if waiting for her to continue, keeping his inner monologue disguised.

"I have been wondering it, even before Thor, but I _know_ I have _seen_ you _before_," Natasha whispered. "But where?"

"Perhaps on one of your many trips across Europe," Loki supplied. He knew if anyone would discover him, it was her. And he was locked in a one-on-one with no obvious way of escape. If he stayed, she would attempt to pick him apart on his subtle gestures; if he fled, her suspicions would be confirmed.

"Not ringing a bell," Natasha murmured, searching his face. Her eyes widened slightly. "I've got it. Take off your glasses."

"I cannot see without them, Miss Romanov," Loki countered. All magic he allowed himself for his disguise weighted heavily on his glasses. Once they were removed, his suppressed aura would be unleashed and the subtle glamour over his facial features would wash away.

"I think you'll be fine without them for a _moment_," Natasha huffed. When Loki shook his head again, she tapped her glass in frustration. "All right, you win. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"It is quite fine. I am simply very self conscious without them," Loki lied.

"I don't see why; you're very handsome," she said slyly. Loki blinked blankly.

"I do thank you, Miss Romanov," he answered.

"Natasha," she corrected.

"Yo, Lance! Come here, dude!" Loki looked over, seeing Greg waving for him.

"Pardon me, Natasha. I must excuse myself," Loki said, looking back over from his friend. The assassin was smiling coyly, which put Loki on high alert.

"We'll see each other again," she promised. She leaned up, pushing from the stool to leave. Loki returned her smile, turning again to head towards Greg. He caught a flash from the corner of his eye, causing him to pull back and push out his right palm. His hand was met by a slim wrist, which he wrapped around instinctively. Loki turned towards the source and frowned.

"Attempting to take a man's glasses, Miss Romanov?"

Natasha smirked. She had leaned over the bar, bracing herself with her left hand on the marbled counter. "I was _curious_."

"And I believe there is a _phrase_ for that, _yes_?" Loki said darkly. He relaxed his grip on her wrist, letting her pull back.

"I'm not one for heeding warnings," she answered, stepping down from the stool. "See you soon, _Mr. Norse._" Natasha turned with her drink and was gone, disappearing into the dancing crowd. Loki watched her go with a deep frown; he suddenly had very little faith in Thor keeping his secret.

He walked over to Greg's side, frown still evident. "Yes, Gregory?" He snapped.

"Wow, dude. Doing okay there?" Greg asked, his eyebrows drawing up in concern.

"_Fine_, now what did you need?" Loki asked, controlling his voice.

"Oh, I wanted you to meet someone! Lance, this is Maggie; Maggie, this is my best friend, Lance," Greg smiled, gesturing accordingly between Loki and the woman in the red dress.

"Maggie Morelli," the woman said, holding her hand out. Loki nodded politely and took her hand, raising it up as if for a bow. Her red lips curled into a tight smile when she bowed her head back.

"Pleasure," Loki said, looking into the crowd over her shoulder. "Lance Norse."

"My, aren't you a charmer," she said sweetly. Loki pulled his gaze from searching the crowd for Thor to settle on Maggie.

"So I have been told," Loki answered dryly, matching her sarcastic tone. Maggie's eyes flashed a hint of amusement, but her features remained stoic behind a fake smile. Greg cleared his throat beside him.

"Excuse him, Miss Maggie," he said, bumping Loki's shoulder with his fist. Loki dropped Maggie's hand to the bar top, snapping his gaze to Greg with a growl.

"Yes, _please do_. I have things of higher concern than this," Loki replied, looking back into the crowd. "Gregory, watch my side of the bar."

"What the hell? Are you flaking on me _again_?"

"I believe you are more than capable enough to handle it," Loki murmured over his shoulder. He spun on his heel and walked away.

"Not _again_," Greg mumbled, watching Loki duck under the break in the counter.

"Why would anyone ever _want_ to leave you, Greg?" Maggie asked, swirling the straw in her drink. Greg looked back, mesmerized for a moment by her sparkling hazel eyes.

"I guess the same reason that you're _still_ here," Greg answered, leaning forward. "Because you want to."

"What makes you think I _want_ to be here?" Maggie chuckled, tossing her long braid over her shoulder.

"Honestly, you've hung out longer than any woman in the past two years," Greg grinned. "But that's usually my fault, anyway."

"I couldn't possibly see why," she answered listlessly. Greg frowned - this chick was putting out some seriously mixed signals.

"Why _are_ you here, then?" Greg asked, dropping his flirtatious tone. Maggie looked back at him, sipping lightly at her drink.

"Wouldn't you like to know." Before Greg could answer, his attention was drawn to a figure behind his patron.

"Oh, hey, Cap'n! Back for another drink?" Greg grinned. Steve Rogers scratched the back of his neck in the ever-present show of _'Why am I here?'_.

"Sure, Greg. That'd be great," he answered, sitting next to Maggie. "Good evening, ma'am."

"Indeed," she answered curtly, causing Greg to snort. Steve looked at him in confusion.

"Enjoying yourself?" He tried again.

"Sure," Maggie answered, sipping her drink.

"Oh, well, all right, then," Steve mumbled. Greg set the soldier's drink down and chuckled.

"Hey Captain. I think Lance left to go look for Tony. Would you mind keeping an eye out?"

"No problem, Greg. Thanks," he answered, taking up the drink. He decided to try one more time, turning to Maggie. "I was wondering if - "

"Not a chance."

"Thank you, ma'am." Steve stood and sulked back to the crowd. Greg's jaw dropped.

"You _crushed_ the guy!"

"Guess he isn't so _super_ after all."

"Wow, you're a _bitch_," Greg grinned.

Maggie smirked in return, setting her glass back down. "I'm actually a personal friend of Mr. Stark."

"Is this the part where I'm on a hidden camera show?"

"Maybe," Maggie answered, shifting her weight. "But you wouldn't get too far without _this_." She waved a plastic card with a clip inches from Greg's nose. The bartender crossed his eyes, straining to read.

"Holy shit!" Greg breathed, eyes widening. Suddenly he began patting the front of his button down. "How the _hell_ did you get my pass?"

Maggie smiled coyly, reaching over to clip the badge back in place. "My little secret."

* * *

_**A/N: There you have it! Part 1 of The Party! Firstly, all credit to Shi-Toyu for Miss Maggie Morelli, after having 'won' the challenge from the previous chapter. Maggie will be reoccurring, at least through the party - and thank you again for the character setup. :)**_

_**Secondly, as always, thank you for your time for reading and sticking out my erratic updates! I thoroughly look forward to reading the reviews, so leave tons! I want to see where you all think the party can head from here. I know what's gonna happen, but I enjoy speculations. :)**_

_**I love you all!**_


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